The Reinvention of River Tam
by FabledFigment
Summary: Um... Jayne and River in a box... Come on, people, when isn't that fun? They will now live outside the box. Post Series, AU to BDM. Wash alive, Inara and Book never left.
1. Sleeper Awaken

Disclaimer: There is no original content, except for the original content. All Hail Joss.

Timeline: Post Series, AU from there. Wash is alive, Inara and Book never left. As if there was no BDM.

* * *

'I couldn't dream this good.' Jayne thought as he drifted towards consciousness. He savored the sensation of soft curves, willing her not to fade into dreamland where she probably belonged.

It didn't happen too often, him waking up with a girl in his arms. He usually didn't have that kind of money. When he did, he didn't waste it in unconsciousness.

He inhaled deeply, admiring the scent of her hair. His body stirred in response. Damn she felt good all pressed up against him like he was special to her.

He pried his eyes open groggily, only to find deep darkness. Alarm rang thru his mind. This was all wrong. One of the most basic rules of whoreing was to leave a light burning.

He didn't remember her. Who was she? Where were they?

Did he drink that much last night? No. He shook his head carefully. He had no headache and he didn't stink like he'd been drinking.

Where were they anyway? There was no light source anywhere. This mattress sure wasn't his bunk on _Serenity_. It was even, firm and quite a bit more comfortable.

What was even more comfortable was the woman pinning him to it. His panic faded a little. He decided to put off moving to keep her on top of him the way she was. _Ai ya_ she felt right fine there.

He sure hoped they had time for a bit more action before she kicked him out. The ache in his groin still felt like he hadn't found any trim in weeks, which had been his situation when he left the ship… when was that? Last night?

The feeling of dread crept back up his spine. There was something powerfully wrong about their situation.

He searched his mind for something concrete he could pin the feeling on. The last thing he could remember was leaving _Serenity_ on Persephone.

There was a cathouse a few blocks from their usual landing zone that he'd been heading for.

There was a certain girl in particular who he'd hooked up with before. Her price wasn't too steep and she was a good time. Plus he was comfortable with her, which was getting to be more important to him the older he got.

So that was where he'd been headed, but that wasn't where he was now, the smell was all wrong.

Flashes of memory returned. He left the ship and Doc's crazy little sister followed him. He tried to take her back to the 'lock, but she kept dashing off in contrary directions. His head was starting to hurt now.

He'd half chased her, not even sure why he didn't let her get herself lost. Except that it would somehow become his fault. Oh, and by the way, he'd be the one who had to track her down anyway.

Then nothing.

No more memory, just waking up here, in a strange place with a strange woman plastered to him.

Strange?

No. Surely not. He let his hands wander a bit. Right size and shape. He groaned.

How in the seven pretty hells had he managed to wind up sleeping cuddled up with crazy River Tam?

And why didn't old John Thomas realize that she was in no way a sexable female?

It made no gorram sense at all. The two of them didn't even ruddy well like each other.

Well…not that he hadn't had sexin thoughts about her and every one of his female shipmates, but…

Fine, so that explained Johnny, but it still didn't explain the situation.

He knew the moment that she woke up. She went from fully relaxed to hyper alert.

"Jayne? Where are we?" Well, she clearly had no trouble identifying him.

"Shh." He whispered. "I'm not sure…"

"Ship." River whispered back. "Not ours."

Now that she mentioned it, he could feel the engine thrumming far away. He groaned again as her little hands explored his sides.

Gorramit, she was not a sexable female. Down boy.

"They took your weapons." She whimpered. "Knocked us out somehow. Drugs? Gas. Down the alley. Sorry. My fault. No sense of danger in the alley, just gas." She shivered violently, clutching at his shirt.

"Shush, now." He whispered into her hair. "Stop that." Gorramit, he wished there was someone else - anyone - he could pass her to. Crazy fits were not in his job description.

She clung tighter, seeming to try to climb into his skin. The way she squirmed against him made him painfully aware that knowing it was her still hadn't reduced his 'morning problem.'

"My fault." She repeated, distressed.

"Calm down." He said, awkwardly patting her back. "Ain't helping nuthin to get all riled up. Shh."

He had no way of knowing it, but the low rumbling of his chest calmed her more than anything had since she was a child. She turned her head so her ear was pressed against his chest.

"Talk." She ordered.

"Huh? What?"

She lifted her head again when the rumbling stopped. "Just talk. I'm thinking."

"I don't know what you want me to say." He paused hoping for a clue.

"If you can't talk, hum." She said, shifting so that her hand reached around his shoulders.

So he hummed. Tunelessly at first, then his mind dredged up a lullaby his mother had sung to him. He sang it to her softly in the dark.

She sat up when he finished, or tried to. She hit her head before she expected to.

"Ouch. Pain. Hurts." She complained, laying back down on him, coming closer than ever to discovering the state of his arousal.

Jayne reached up and felt the ceiling. He'd assumed they were in a darkened cabin, but he now realized the space was much smaller. He stretched to touch the sides of their compartment. He didn't have to reach far in any direction.

"Sleeper cell." He growled. "See if you can find the door latches."

She shimmied down his body until she was curled up at his feet. He stifled another groan as her gorram breasts brushed his nethers. Damn, was there any chance she hadn't noticed?

"Here." She said. "Locked. No latches this side." She kept moving, inching back towards him. "Ventilation working." She crawled around him. "Here, storage compartment. Light." It was dim, but they both winced when she snapped it on.

Jayne propped an elbow under him and swept the compartment with his eyes. Not bad to sleep in. He'd seen worse, but he wouldn't like to be stuck here long.

His head would hit the ceiling if he so much as did a pushup. Sitting up was not going to be possible for either of them.

River was kneeling over him, fiddling with the latches of the storage compartment. She sure was shapely. He usually didn't let himself look her way so much.

If she just… He blinked, making himself look towards her hands. She was a reader and might could pick up those thoughts.

She had mighty pretty hands. Long fingers…

She grunted, a funny little sound coming from her, and the door of the storage slid up into the wall.

She continued her exploration, ignoring his wayward thoughts. "Ready meals, water faucet, waste recycler." She catalogued the contents of the closet aloud. "One blanket. Are you cold?"

He shook his head. "No." He added, realizing she hadn't looked his way.

She tallied up the Ready Meals.

"Eight days for two people, sixteen for one. Did they plan on two?" She looked around the cell and snorted.

She slid the door closed again.

"So." She said, settling between his feet, back hunched and head pressing into the padded ceiling.

"So." He agreed. "What do you think? Bounty hunters?"

"Two by two." She paused but then shook her head. "No, not coming." She cocked her head to the side as if listening for something. "They don't know. Random flies in the web. The girl means nothing to them."

"Good." He was almost surprised at how much he trusted her answer. "What are they? Slavers?"

She considered that for a moment. "Data is lacking."

"You sure we can't get out?" He asked. She hadn't half tried.

She arched her eyebrow at him. "He is welcome to try."

It took some determined maneuvering, but they switched places. He wondered if the hand on his ass was accidental. It seemed to him it lingered more than it had to. Naw, he decided, I'm making stuff up.

He examined the hatch. She was right. There were no latches or hinges on this side.

He worked out what leverage he could and pounded at it.

"The spider is alerted that the prey has revived." River said, eye roll implied in her tone.

The hatch did not give at all. He made a sour face at her. He flipped around and tried to kick it out, again with no success.

_Hello 12A_. The tinny voice came from a small speaker in the wall. _You will have noticed it is not possible to escape. Persistence will earn you a dose of knockout gas. Calm down and enjoy the ride._

_Y'all are bound for a right nice world. A bit on the under populated side, but you'll cope. You'll be in your new home in just a few days, so sit back and enjoy the ride. _

There was a click. Gorram slaver didn't plan to say any more.

They looked at each other across the length of the cell.

"Slavers." He said again.

She nodded.

He continued to watch her, noticing suddenly that he'd understood her more in the past five minutes than he ever had before. He rubbed his shoulder where he'd rammed the door.

"Hurts?" She asked.

He rolled his shoulder. "Been worse." He said dismissively.

"Six worlds roll within two days of Persephone. Was the sleep long?"

"Can't tell." Jayne said sighing. He rubbed his face. "Wait." He stroked the stubble on his face. It was already softening. "A couple of days at least."

"Eight worlds were within three days, fourteen for four days. For five days? Unsure. Many." She frowned. "Blackrock worlds are not taken into account."

He winced. "So we don't know where we're going?"

She nodded. "We could discount several planets based on large population, but that is risky. A mine or plantation could be far from the main cities even on an urban planet."

"Urban like in the Core?" He frowned.

"Possibly." She shrugged. "I once overheard a friend of my father talk about the copper mine he had on Osiris. He employed illegal immigrants who I suspect had no way to leave. He boasted how cheap labor could be."

"Odd party talk." Jayne chalked one more mark into the column of why he would deck her old man if he ever met him.

She wrinkled her nose. "Alright, so I employed a listening device." She suddenly inspected the speaker on the wall.

"They listening to us?" He felt alarmed.

"Probability is low." She said frowning. "Sleeper cell, Zephyr class, model 2317, padded for turbulence. Microphones not standard in this model." She tapped the speaker. "Available in banks of 6, 9, 24 and 36. Doors are interchangeable, available in six models, including inoperable from the inside."

Why would that be an option? He wondered.

She rolled her eyes and answered his silent question. "That option was designed at the request of the government for transporting dangerous prisoners."

She scowled. "More pertinent to our present situation, it is commonly used by slavers, usually with a model 1355 sleeper cell. No padding." She added as the question formed in his head. "Cheaper."

He nodded sharply and looked at the door again.

"Not a good idea." She said.

He looked back at her and slumped against the wall.

"Not a good idea." He agreed. "So, what now?"

"We wait." She twisted into a position that looked almost comfortable, curled up at the far end of the cell.

River was silent for a few minutes. Then, slowly at first, she began to mutter, chant and sometimes even sing to herself. Jayne bore it for as long as he could, perhaps two or three minutes.

"Gorramit! Girl, if you're gonna make noise you could at least talk to me."

She stared at him silently for a long moment.

He exhaled angrily and looked away. "Sorry."

"Does he have a topic in mind?" She said eventually.

He looked back her way.

"Mostly the girl speaks lovely nonsense." She offered.

"River…" He began pensively.

"Ocean, lake, stream." She said quickly. "What pretty probability." She looked significantly at the speaker on the wall.

He tensed when he caught her meaning. They still might be overheard and she didn't want her name to be known. Sensible.

"Do another." She said cheerfully.

He searched his mind for another word. "Feet." He finally said. His were pressed awkwardly into the padded wall.

"Tarsal, metatarsal, phalange." She grinned at his blank look. "My turn. Straw."

"Seed, stalk, feed."

"Feed?" She frowned. "Animals don't eat straw. They eat hay or grass or grain."

"Not all. Some eat meat." He countered defensively. "Besides, I thought we were going for nonsense."

"Ah, changing the rules." Her eyes looked like she was laughing at him. "Peace." She challenged.

Jayne's nostrils flared. "Calm, _Serenity_ joy." Their eyes met and she nodded. "Home." He said to continue the game.

"Past, present, future." River replied. Her chin went up a little on the last word. "Time."

He looked away. "Money, work, lost." He closed his eyes. "Beauty."

"Skin, flower, sword."

Her response made him look up at her again.

"Dance." Was her next challenge.

* * *

Note: First line is from Toby Keith's 'Don't leave, I think I love you.' 


	2. James and Santha

Naturally Simon panicked when he couldn't find River.

His jabbering drew Kaylee from under _Serenity's_ engine. Mal had finally replaced the left anterior hydraulic fitting. She'd enjoyed installing the new part.

"Slow down. I thought River went out with you." Kaylee wiped her hands on a rag and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"No, she didn't want to come. I left her in her bunk." Simon twisted his fingers together anxiously. "I just got back. I can't find her anywhere."

"Did you check the cargo bay?" Kaylee bit her lip. "I've found her behind the boxes a couple of times."

"Yes, I looked there, and in every compartment and closet I could think of."

"Come on, I'll help you look." Kaylee grabbed a fresher rag and wiped her hands again.

"What if she left the ship?" Simon moaned.

"She knows not to go out alone." Kaylee's brow furrowed. "Doesn't she?"

Simon groaned. "Sometimes its hard to tell."

* * *

They continued the word game for what seemed like hours, until River noticed the way Jayne was shifting his weight over and over.

"You're uncomfortable." She observed, breaking off the game on her turn.

"It's a tiny space." He said, rubbing his neck. "I'm a big guy." He winced inwardly, grateful she wouldn't catch the innuendo there. Things were awkward enough without embarrassing her.

"Lie down." She said. "Stretch."

"Where will you be?" Jayne asked suspiciously.

"The glass will not shatter on contact." River frowned at him. She tugged at her skirt.

Jayne wrenched his eyes off her knees.

He uncurled his body, inching himself towards her. He stopped when he was close to her and maneuvered until he was on his back with his legs curled up.

She sighed. "Your legs will still cramp. Roll on your side."

He did and she crawled down the length of the cell. He pushed himself straight. Pains he hadn't even been aware of eased. She settled between his legs, not looking too comfortable against the unpadded hatch.

"Will you stay with me?" She asked, biting her lip. "Wherever we… land?"

"Maybe." He grunted. "Or I could settle you somewhere if we can't get you home."

She frowned.

"I'm not a nice man, girlie." He scowled back at her. "Don't look for promises. Lets move one step at a time. They still might separate us."

She nodded slowly, warily.

"Gorramit. Stretch out next to me." He growled. "We're gonna be here awhile." He shifted his body so there was room for her too.

She hesitated.

"I won't bite." Jayne tried to adjust himself through his pants without her noticing.

"I might." River bared her teeth at him, but she stretched herself out beside him.

"You'd better not, girlie girl." He shifted so there was a few inches between them. He tried to just look at the wall behind her.

He could smell her more clearly now. She smelled, well like herself, like a woman. Even though she was just a crazy little girl.

"He is not edible?" River asked playfully.

Jayne muttered something, not sure his own self what. He could think of…

"Sigh." She shifted so she was taking up the space she'd left between them. He could feel her body heat where they were now nearly but not quite touching.

"Look. If we're gonna get through this…" His frustration filled his voice, he heard how loud he was and huffed. "This just ain't easy for me." He looked into her face trying to guess if she understood at all.

"He is used to mobility." River said, trying to decipher his meaning. "He would not normally seek out the company of this girl."

He frowned. Her gaze grew more intense as if she was nearing some answer.

"Forced immobility coupled with forced proximity are making this situation worse." She restated.

"Yeah." Jayne agreed. "That's most of it."

She smiled sadly. "She knows he doesn't like her."

"There's more to it than that."

The look she gave him felt like it burned right through him, but she moved away again, letting him breath easier.

"Girl… Gorramit. I can't keep calling you girl. I can't stand it." He huffed his breath out again.

"You could call me Jane." She suggested, watching his face closely.

"No I ruddy well couldn't. That ain't your name." He scowled at her. She beamed back. Gorramit she was getting him riled up on purpose.

"Well, it's not your name either." She lifted her eyebrows significantly.

He opened his mouth to protest, she placed a finger on his lips. He thought it over, mildly distracted by that slim white finger.

If the slavers could figure out who he was, they might connect them back to _Serenity_. If they both took false names… Maybe they could get through this without those gorram evil blue handed _hun dans_ getting their hands on her.

He nodded and she moved her finger.

"You're right, it ain't." He agreed.

"Jane is a girl's name." She teased.

His hand started towards his… Gorramit, not helpful, especially since she was right, more or less.

He scowled at her and reached for a name he thought he could answer to. "James Coleson." He said finally.

"Santha Brown." She said immediately. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Santha? Did you pull that out of my brain?" Wouldn't surprise him none if she had. Santha was the name of the girl he'd been headed to see on Persephone.

She looked honestly surprised. She tilted her head at him. "It was the most common girl's name on Xirses in the year I was born."

"Huh."

"If my parents knew the trouble the name would be." She swallowed. "They would have named me exactly as they did."

"Why do I always get the feeling that we're having three conversations at once?" He grumbled.

"Not my fault that I'm an evil genius." She giggled. "Complexity of spirit defies quantifying."

After that confusing statement, she babbled on for a while, glibly using long words, most of which he had never even heard before.

After a bit he started hearing things that he thought might mean she was insulting him.

"Damn," He grumbled, "I wish your fool brother was here to tell me what the hell you're saying."

She stopped speaking and looked him in the eye. "He couldn't tell you. My fool brother never listens."

They were both silent for a long moment. It was long enough to make Jayne uncomfortable. They needed a new game.

"I'll tell you a story." She announced suddenly. "Once upon a time and long ago…"

She burbled on like the river she was named for. Some old nonsense about a spooky forest and a white flower and girls turned into birds by an ugly old hag.

Jayne tried to relax against the wall as he listened. They would be here too long to stay as tense as he was now.

He listened idly to her story, surprised again that he understood so many of her sentences. She finished one story with the traditional happily-ever-after, prince-saving-the-day ending, then she immediately began another about three brothers who went out into the 'Verse to find work.

When he interrupted her, he didn't really mean to, his rumbling belly gave him away.

"You're hungry." She announced, ending her story in the middle of a thought.

She turned over so fast that he didn't know how she'd done it. One moment she was facing him, the next she was turned to the wall and her hair was in his face.

"Hey," He sputtered, "Watch it." He smoothed the hair onto her back, away from his mouth. She shivered at his touch. He decided it were best if he didn't know why.

"Sorry." She muttered as she slid the storage cabinet open again.

From her tone, Jayne doubted she meant it much.

"We should tie back your hair somehow." He said.

"Later." River said, "Food is first. We are hungry now."

"Just don't get it in the food." He griped.

She ignored him, muttering and inspecting the ready meals.

"At least they're the good ones." She said happily, choosing two from the pile.

"There's such a thing as good ones?" Jayne asked doubtfully.

"Of course." She glanced at him with that little frown that usually made him sort of mad. "They are almost fresh too, over three years before expiration."

"Three years? Those things have a shelf life of three years?"

"More." River said, turning so that she could prop herself up on her elbows. "Fresh ones go to the troops. Surplus is sold when two years remain." She tapped the date on the box. "Our captors have a link to someone with access to an Alliance supply depot."

"Huh." Odd, but it made sense if you thought about it. He'd never had one that wasn't nearly expired.

He was mulling that over when he noticed what she was doing. "Hey, that ain't the way how you're supposed to do it." She had begun mixing the packets together in ways not indicated on the package.

"I am cooking it for you." River said calmly.

"Well you're doing it all wrong." He protested.

She looked at him like he was the crazy one. "Do you know why these ones are good?"

A scowl was the only answer he could think of.

"No, you don't." She continued. "Therefore I will cook it for you and you will realize you are grateful when you eat it." She looked back at what she was doing.

"Hey, keep your hair outa the food." He gathered up the messy locks and braided them loosely down her back.

She stilled while he was working, and turned towards him as he finished. He tied it with a strip of packaging from the meal she was 'cooking.'

"You know how to braid hair." She said, wonder filling her voice.

He shrugged awkwardly in the small space. "Not exactly hard."

She looked back at her hands, but he could tell her mind was racing faster than most people could fly a ship through the black.

After a while she handed him the meal tray. He looked at it suspiciously, but his stomach rumbled and well, he would eat anything edible, wouldn't he?

He took a bite and stared at her in amazement. "What in the 'Verse did you do to make it taste so good?"

"The overt instructions are given incorrectly." She said, serenely opening the second package. "To deliberately produce a taste like donkey piss and dog poo. It is a mess hall joke on new trainees. Double funny out on the rim where the food is ageing as well."

"You learn that at your gorram Academy?" He growled.

She looked at him with what would have been a glare if she didn't look so sad too.

It made him angry to think of that place.

"My brother was a Youth Cadet for three years before he went away to school." She sighed. "He could never figure them out either."

She lined the empty packets up in four groups of three. He didn't understand at first, but once he had stared for a moment he realized that each group had a little spot of color in common on the bottom edge of the wrapper.

"The good ones tell you." She explained. She pointed to the corner of the film that covered the tray. It had four little squares of color in a row. "Pink green red blue is my favorite."

He double checked the labels. She'd fixed her 'favorite' for both of them. He felt touched, then suspicious. "Are they all the same kind? You made us your favorite."

She arched her eyebrow at him. "Only three of them."

He turned his attention back to his plate. Neither one of them needed things to get all complicated, which is where he was starting to lean, so he should just lean the other way. They would get out of this and then they could go back to not being so…close.

"Hey, this part is warm." He'd cleared one area of his tray and gone on to the next.

"Your gut has never burned when you ate one of these?" Her brow arched at him.

Jayne thought back. "Oh."

"A chemical reaction." River explained. "Exothermic, generates heat."

Jayne sipped the 'drink.' "And this is almost cold."

"Opposite. Endothermic." She grinned. "Scary, isn't it? I wouldn't want to live on them."

River began to eat her own meal. Jayne watched her to slow down his own self. He didn't remember that she ate so daintily. She took tiny little scoops and seemed to be savoring every bite.

"It ain't that good." Jayne said after a while.

"Eating slowly fools your body into thinking it is getting more than it is." River said, forming each word carefully.

"Huh." Jayne looked down at his own tray. It was nearly empty.

Jayne was working on getting at the last possible smear of sauce when River sighed and pushed her tray towards him.

"You don't want no more?" He eyed her.

River shook her head.

"Why not?" His eyes narrowed as he measured the possibilities.

"Your caloric need is greater." She lay her head on her arms and closed her eyes.

Jayne watched her for a moment. She sure looked all peaceful. He took up her tray and polished it off with gusto.

As he finished, he realized she was watching him.

"Thank you." He licked the spoon one last time.

River smiled softly. "Watching you enjoy it was thanks enough."

"Why don't you tell more people about the mislabeled packet thing?"

River grinned. "The joke is on me when they change the packaging again."

Jayne grunted.

"Nutritional value remains constant."

"Huh." Jayne shifted against the wall. "Guess that does make it better." He reached toward the waste disposal unit.

River stopped him before he could throw away the trash.

"What?"

"Resources." She said cryptically. She rinsed out every packet and stowed them to dry in the storage compartment.

"_Fen li_. " Jayne muttered, hopefully too low for her to hear.

"When I have nothing, I do not dispose of an item I may later find a use for."

Jayne blinked and thought about that. That made an eerie kind of perfect sense. Not only that, she must be trying awfully hard to get him to understand her.

"Right." He agreed. "No use wasting."

Although how they'd use 'em was a mystery to him.

* * *

"Still no sign of her?" Mal asked as he entered the dinning area.

Three glum faces met him.

"Right." Mal shrugged into his coat. "I'm gonna look in some of Jayne's favorite haunts. Maybe I can track him down." He cleared his throat. "Maybe he knows something.

After another awkward moment, Inara stood. "I'll go check the Cortex again. Maybe there's…"

She paused, then just went.


	3. Hard Choices

"Your turn to talk." River sounded sleepy.

Fair enough, Jayne supposed. She'd told him a whole book full of stories.

"What should I say?" He didn't know many stories she wouldn't blush at.

"How did you learn to braid hair?" She mumbled, eyes drifting shut.

"Ma made me do hers sometimes, and Mattie's." Jayne closed his eyes, thinking back. "Ma said it were terrible important for a fellow to do hair. Didn't say why."

He still liked hair. It was usually soft and smelled nice too.

"Ma was like that. She had all sorts of notions and ideas about what I'd need to know in life. Can't say as most of them were all that useful." Jayne felt the smile forming.

"Anyway, Ma would sit me down and make me brush as much woman hair as she could line up in front of me. 'Be gentle.' She would say. 'Not so hard.' All I was thinking was how bad it would be if the fellows walked in."

Jayne chuckled softly. "I used to do Mattie up for school, at least until she was old enough to do for herself."

River mumbled something. Might have been, "Makes sense to me." Hard to tell.

Jayne opened his eyes. Girl was drifting off. Good. He reached up to flick off the light.

He shifted against the padded wall and listened to her soft sleep noises.

What exactly had Ma meant by all that brushing? She'd sure been set on it. He supposed he'd even gotten rather good.

He shook his head in the dark.

Damn but River smelled good. All heat and woman. Except she was really just a brain-scarred little girl.

Safer topic, he needed a safer… Ma. What would Ma think about the trouble they'd just landed in?

Wasn't even his fault, near as he could tell. He hadn't seen a thing to warn them, seemed like Ri-the girl-Santha hadn't neither. He'd been watching out for her, trying to protect her, not trying to get her into a scrape.

Jayne scowled. Just shows what looking out for her caught him.

His Ma… well… She'd think he should keep his hands to himself for a start. He was already going for that, wasn't he?

Of course he was, and this was the crazy girl, so it shouldn't even be all that har-difficult.

This sure as hell was gonna be a diff-hard set of days. Damn, might as well make the bad pun. He groaned and twisted himself into what would hopefully be a more comfortable position.

If she could see them, Ma would want his promise, his solemn vow that he wouldn't take advantage of the crazy girl while they were stranded together.

He could make that promise, couldn't he? He was more or less going for that anyway, right?

Jayne swallowed past the lump in his throat.

Of course he could. This was the crazy girl who liked to come at him with knives. He didn't even like her. Well, not that you actually had to like…

Not helpful.

He could control himself past the urge to see if her skin was really as soft as it looked.

He stifled another groan. Why'd he have to think that? He'd been wondering about that for months. Maybe even since she first popped nekkid out of her box…

Right, that image wasn't helping either.

So, this was gonna be terribly trying, but he had enough willpower to get over that. He could be powerfully stubborn if he chose.

So, he promised. He vowed with all his might, talking to his Ma the whole time, that he wouldn't do anything to shame her.

Then he folded his arms up, tucked his hands in and forced himself to relax. He listened to River's soft snoring. Eventually he willed himself into unconsciousness.

* * *

All seven remaining shipmates gathered around the dinning table.

"So, what have we found out?" Zoë asked as Mal took his place.

"No sign of Jayne." The captain said, tight lipped. "None of his usual stops have seen him."

"A kid from the ship in the next berth saw them both leave." Kaylee offered. "Jayne first, River following right away. Jayne tried to shoo her back to the boat. River took off in another direction and Jayne chased after her."

"Huh." Mal said, anger fading. That didn't sound like Jayne had stolen her away.

"No news on the Cortex." Inara said. "Except that the Alliance just raised their bounties five percent."

"So they haven't been turned in to the Alliance." Wash interpreted. "That's a good thing, right?"

"Maybe." Zoë frowned.

"I found something else on the Cortex." Inara continued. "It was buried in the posts, old news. There have been a series of disappearances. Usually young couples who get to Persephone, then are never heard from again. The authorities claim no foul play. Officially, they're just kids, eloping, running away to a new life."

"Sounds like slavers." Mal shook his head. "Why the couples pattern?"

"I think I know." Kaylee spoke up. "We had a problem like that back home one year. Drag and drop settlers. Resettlement ships target couples so the new colony will grow, have children and such."

"Who does that kind of thing?" Simon looked shell-shocked. "Don't enough people want to settle new places?"

"Yeah." Mal scowled. "Problem is, no one in their right mind would want to go where these people get dropped."

"Newly terraformed worlds." Zoë clarified. "The Central Colony Office actually posts a bounty per head. They also provide a minimum of supplies per person."

"You think this happened to River?" Simon choked out.

"Couldn't say." Mal tapped his fingers on the table. "But if it did, Jayne will take care of her."

"What is the source of this delusion?" Simon asked incredulously. "When has Jayne ever looked out for anyone but himself?"

No one had an answer for that.

"There are other forms of slavery." Inara said. Her tone was not comforting.

"As soon as they are free enough they'll WAVE us." Mal said. "Then I promise we'll go pick them up wherever they are."

"We can't stop looking." Simon protested.

"There are over ten thousand ships on this planet at any given time. More than half of them don't object to money however they can find it. We have no trail to follow." Mal shook his head. "We have nowhere to start and they could already be off world.

"The last thing River needs is you getting caught." Book finally spoke. "The Federal Marshals would search ship to ship, holding up her picture. There is no way she would slip through that sort of net, but we wouldn't have her either. She would be returned to custody."

Simon slumped back in his chair.

"Funnily enough, I gotta lean toward trusting Jayne." Mal said. "He'll keep them together if he can, he'll keep her safe. Jayne will contact us as soon as he can."

"I regret I cannot share your assessment." Simon frowned. "So we just sit here doing nothing?"

"No." Steel filled Mal's voice. "We go on. We do our next job and the one after that. Eventually they will contact us."

Simon seemed about to say something.

"I agree." Book said. "To do otherwise brings suspicion on us and danger to them."

* * *

After four hours and twenty seven minutes, River's internal clock woke her. Breakfast time on _Serenity_.

The pitch darkness startled her into a brief panic, which was quickly eased when her memory of the sleeper cell returned.

She reached up and turned the light back on. She instantly breathed easier.

James groaned in his sleep, wincing against the dim illumination. Now that she was awake enough to remember she mustn't slip even mentally.

He looked younger, more peaceful, while sleeping. Handsomer.

Santha watched him sleep. He was interesting to watch. She'd always thought so.

A large portion of her brain was busily calculating probabilities.

He twitched. Repeatedly. Dreaming, she knew.

Given current data, passionate physicality was highly likely. She ran that calculation twice to be sure she hadn't missed something.

She didn't snoop to learn the content of his dream. That would be rude.

The numbers ran into the millions. A near certainty. Honestly, she thought she could live with that.

As she watched, the dream shifted, growing dark, heading towards nightmarish territory.

Santha inched towards him. James calmed as soon as she pressed herself against him. His arms reached out for her and she relaxed into his embrace.

He was unmistakably still asleep, but his hands began slowly, gently caressing her back.

The physical sensations his touch caused were thrilling as well as soothing.

Her calculations moved on to her own reactions. She factored in the comfort she currently felt in his arms.

There were strong indications that her body desired his on a purely animal level. All of the textbook signs of sexual arousal were present. They had been for a long time, actually.

That didn't mean she was ready to act on those indications.

Mental fingers poked at her emotions. Fear, excitement, apprehension, resignation.

Given the situation, she was almost ready for physical intimacy. She sighed. Almost. She hadn't expected to be faced with this anytime soon. If they were still on the ship this wouldn't have come up yet.

Santha knew she had been becoming increasingly aware of him since they first met. Most notably, she was aware of her own arousal while in his presence. Occasionally it became confused with her reactions to Simon's drugs, but even then she could differentiate based on presence or absence of his scent.

Santha was also aware that any small emotional attachment between them was nearly one-sided, all hers, none his. Even that was tenuous at best. In truth, it was merely the peaked interest of a female animal when she encounters a genetically compatible male.

From what she had seen of his habits, she did at least minimally meet his physical requirements. Emotionally, well, he didn't much care for her.

If they were still with the ship, her unstable mental health would have made intimate developments unlikely. She was watched too closely, not to mention she hadn't been ready to chose or discard him as a possibility.

Santha's analysis continued. In recent weeks she had observed in herself a distinct willingness to provoke him. In fact, that was the reason for her teasing game of run-away. The one that led them here.

She still wasn't fully ready to initiate adult intimacies. Neither was he. At least not emotionally.

Santha inhaled deeply. She would still prefer to wait.

Unfortunately for her preferences, they were locked in a tiny cubical together. Once he initiated intimacy… well, there would be no stopping her.

Santha smiled. There, decision made. Her brain quieted, calculations complete. This would have a satisfactory outcome.

If nothing else, becoming his mate would make him less willing to abandon her.

She adjusted their bodies into a more comfortable and slightly more intimate pose. She smiled, recognizing the overt sign of his arousal.

Santha regulated her breathing. She would sleep until he woke.

He would wake with her against him again and the 'sexin' would begin.

That is if her calculations were correct.


	4. Firm Resolve

Disclaimer: There is no original content, except for the original content. All Hail Joss.

* * *

Simon looked around the infirmary, feeling lost.

He'd just finished polishing his mirrored lamp for the second time that day.

It was easy to forget how much of his time was spent in caring for his sister. At least until she was gone. Without her he was empty.

He needed something else to do.

He wandered over and flipped on the Cortex link. It was set for information only, of course. You needed a two way feed to WAVE someone, but the infirmary didn't usually need that.

So, what to do? There were months of trade publications awaiting him. He should really get to that.

He sighed and dialed up a soothing audio feed. Ancient music from Earth-That-Was; Mozart, a modern arrangement for sitar, flute and drum.

Simon closed his eyes and let the music flow over him. It tingled his fingertips and made his scalp prickle.

The sensations turned his thoughts to Kaylee. Not that they needed much excuse to lean that way.

He had decisions to make. He was still a fugitive. He had very little to offer anyone, much less someone as magnificent as Kaylee.

The first decision he needed to make was whether he was finished running.

He considered that for a while. River. His uncertainty about her whereabouts was the only thing pulling him away from _Serenity_.

Going back to his old life was not an option. It probably never would be. At this point he wouldn't find his former hospital post as satisfying as it once was. He needed to move on, not back.

Yes, he decided, he was done running. _Serenity_ was his home. Always assuming the captain would let him stay. Simon pushed himself off the counter.

Fine, so he would just have to make himself indispensable. His chin raised slightly in what his family would have recognized as a sign of his stubbornness. He had some ideas that would increase his value to the ship.

Like they always did, his thoughts drifted back to Kaylee. Simon rubbed his nose. If he was done running, it was time to plant roots. He needed to perform the procedure right away.

Only afterwards could he think about engaging Kaylee's affections.

It wasn't fair to court her looking like he did now instead of how he would look for the rest of his life. If he was done running altering his appearance was the first order of business.

Simon sighed. He would need anesthesia. That meant he also needed someone to monitor him while he was under.

He considered his options. The Shepherd. There were hidden depths to Shepherd Book. Simon thought the man would be able to watch, safeguard and react quickly if there were complications.

Simon opened a lower cupboard and pulled out the device. It was small, it didn't give much clue at all to it's purpose.

A doctor could keep one in his pocket easily, just in case it was needed suddenly.

Simon hadn't had any trouble picking this one up a St. Lucy's.

He'd even already programmed it. He knew exactly what he wanted it to do. He had researched and planned two sequences, one for himself, one for River.

Simon felt his lips twitch regretfully. He should have already done it. Now River was out there somewhere, looking like herself, vulnerable. With Jayne. Simon winced harder.

"Well, I'd best find the Shepherd then." Simon mumbled. He switched off his music and went looking.

* * *

It was actually the kissing that woke Jayne up.

Somehow his resolve was not helped any at all to wake with River sprawled across him again. Not to mention the kissing part.

Jayne didn't usually kiss no-one, even in his dreams.

Kissing was too intimate. It said two people cared about one another. It was shyness and yearning. Wasn't much like him at all.

Jayne preferred to go right for the goal with a woman who wanted to get paid for it. That was a hell of a lot less complicated.

All that didn't mean he wasn't enjoying himself now.

He'd been dreaming. Some rotten piece of _fei-oo_ fairy tale with a happily-ever-after.

River's fault for telling him so many stories about glass hills and funny flowers that broke enchantments.

His own damn fault for listening.

Jayne wasn't any kind of sweet or romantic. That's how he'd known it was a dream. He wasn't anyone's idea of a prince.

Even sound asleep he'd known kissing her wasn't right. She wasn't the kind of girl you could use without hurting.

Alright, he knew this was going to be hell, but he had a promise to keep.

He ended the kiss, trying to ease her away from him without waking her.

He sighed and tried to pry her hands free. She clung and cuddled closer, which made him stiffen in more ways than he wanted to think about.

Without even meaning to let himself, he was stroking her hair and checking out the smooth texture of her skin. It was every bit as fine as he'd thought it would be.

He shifted away from her, disentangling their bodies so ol'John Thomas wouldn't embarrass her when she woke.

Then he worked at getting her the rest of the way off of him.

River moaned and protested drowsily, trying to crawl back to him. Some of the most purely sexifying sounds he'd ever heard.

His hand made accidental contact with the soft globe of her breast and he snatched it back away.

Jayne pounded his head softly against the padded wall of their cage.

Time to go for quick instead of slow. He moved her, sat up and scooted awkwardly towards her feet.

Just as he was getting his breathing back under control River gasped and spoke.

"James?" Her voice was worried, almost panicked.

"I'm here." He grunted. "Ain't nowhere to go."

"I was dreaming." She murmured, brushing a hand at the mess that was left of the braid he'd made. "Open sky, water, flowers. Then you were gone and I woke up."

Given what he'd woken up to, he could hazard a guess as to what they'd been doing under that sky.

"Go back to sleep." He grumbled.

"I'm cold. Come back." Her eyes were sleepy looking.

If he didn't know better, Jayne might have thought those eyes were enticing him on purpose.

Jayne stared blankly at her. She was so damned innocent. He shook his head jerkily and reached into the storage compartment.

He spread their one blanket over her, careful not to touch her much. She just kept looking at him until it seemed like staring.

He looked away, pounding his head rhythmically against the wall. Gorram padding meant it didn't hurt enough.

"Listen, girl, I want to be sure you understand something." Jayne turned his head, meeting her eyes. He winced. "I'm just a man. A man who can't control some of the things his body gets up to, ya know?"

She just tilted her head curiously.

"I want you to know I don't mean anything insulting by it. You're pretty and having you cuddled up to me when I wake up…" Jayne felt a flush creeping up his cheeks. "Well, its just bound to cause…"

She just lay there, looking…

"What I really mean is I ain't trying to take advantage of being locked up together. I ain't doing it on purpose. I mean…"

Her slightly confused, innocent expression didn't help.

Jayne growled and banged his head on the padded wall again.

"My man parts are reacting to your nearness and sweet smell." There, blunt, good.

Her eyes sought the evidence of his words, which of course made the evidence more pronounced.

"I don't mean anything personal by it. I want you to know that, in case you notice later and try to kill me."

"With my brain?" She asked curiously.

"Or anything else." He agreed. "I'm not used to being so close to someone I'm not… And especially when I first wake up… And you do smell good, even after how long we've been here…"

"Pheromones." Her nostrils flared as she inhaled. "You smell good too." She smiled brightly at him.

"Gorramit, girl, you shouldn't oughta say _go se_ like that to me." The hand she couldn't see fisted up. Innocent little girl probably didn't even know that sort of thing weren't right.

"James is a gentleman." River said slowly. "Santha appreciates the sentiment."

"You're sure that's the name?" Jayne winced.

"It is my best cover." River frowned slightly at him. "Ninety percent chance of successful concealment. Your prior associations are not my fault. The girl is sure."

"Go back to sleep." He repeated.


	5. Forty Eight Percent

Note: Please remember that River insisted they change their names. River is Santha, Jayne is James. Sometimes it feels confusing.

* * *

Santha let her consciousness expand, filling the ship that imprisoned them. She skimmed lightly over the minds of their fellow prisoners. Twenty seven couples, including them, male and female.

Part of her began to relate these numbers to the Shepherd's book. No. Still early quantum theory. The number of mammals was still too great to include them all… unless… cryogenic zygotes?

No. Impractical. How would they be implanted with Noah's level of technology?

On to the captors, she instructed herself. Time was limited, this process was wearying. She should collect any information she could then return to being just herself.

Only eight crew members, even though the ship was larger than _Serenity_.

The first mind she touched in the crew spaces made her recoil. Greasy evil _hun dan_.

All of Jayne's worst qualities, concentrated and multiplied with none of his caring or ethics. Funny how Jayne could become a paragon of virtue with one simple comparison.

She moved on. That one was too mired in filth to be useful, and he was a lowly toad besides.

No women on the crew, she observed. That was a good thing with the toad around. She noted their names and as many tidbits of information as she could dig for.

The captain was the most useful. He was reading relevant governing law, looking for loopholes to make him more money.

Santha's heart sank. Quite creepifying to know the government was paying the bill for what was happening to them.

She stayed as long as she could, memorizing details and reading over his shoulder, well, more like through his eyes. She even found her own set of loopholes.

If only she could exploit them without killing them both.

When she could hang on no longer, she returned to herself, gasping.

"Hey there, easy, girl." James rumbled, leaning over her.

Santha sat up as much as the tiny space would allow, ready to act on her new knowledge.

"I need you to braid my hair." She was vaguely surprised that the words came out so clearly.

"I've done that, see?" James picked up the thick braid hanging down her back.

"Disguise." Santha said impatiently. "Would take eleven point six hours to effect properly in optimal circumstances."

It also meant he would be touching her, she realized, with a quiver. This could be the trigger to intimacy. Good. She was tired of waiting in nervous anticipation.

Despite his earlier endearing speech, River had too much knowledge of Jayne to believe he could sustain enough control not to touch her in a sexual way. The suspense was becoming annoying.

Santha pinched a tiny section of hair and held it towards him. "Tiny, like this." She braided the section tightly all the way to it's end.

She felt he was about to refuse. "The girl is incapable of doing it properly alone."

They stared at each other for long evaluating moments.

Santha turned up the pleading in her eyes. "River is begging Jayne to help her." She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward in the tiny space. "She does not want to be recognized."

"What happened to the false names?" Jayne asked.

Santha shook her head impatiently. "There are no listening ears. Jayne and River know one another; James and Santha have only just met." She hoped he understood her meaning. "River begs the favor from her crewmate."

"Fine. Just don't look at me like that." James caved.

Santha instantly schooled her face into blankness.

"Gorramit. That's worse." He complained.

"You'll do it?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah." He agreed. "Not all at once. I can tell this is gonna cause some pain."

Her face fell. "I don't…"

"Stop it. _Wo de ma,_ you're right, if we can disguise you it will be better all around. I just know we don't have enough room for this."

Santha nodded, watching his mind flit through possibilities.

Finally, he scooted to the padded end of the compartment. He spread his legs as far as he could in the cramped space.

"Set your ass right here." He ordered. "And lean back on your elbows. You sure they have to be that tiny?"

"Yes." She positioned herself as instructed.

James huffed.

"To match the picture on the Cortex." She clarified.

"What picture?" James asked, leaning around her head so he could see her face.

"Santha Brown's ID photo from six years ago." She turned her head so she could meet his eyes.

The motion brought their faces within inches of touching. Awareness gripped her.

James grabbed the back of her head to turn her away from him again. Only his telegraphed thoughts allowed her to avoid a neck injury.

"Ow." Santha complained, even though she was unhurt. He easily could have snapped her neck.

"Sorry." James mumbled.

He really was contrite, so she forgave him and searched the surface of his mind for the reason. A knife of heat shot through her belly. He'd done it because he was afraid he would kiss her. But Jayne didn't kiss. She'd heard him say so more than once.

James loosened her braid and ran nimble fingers through her hair. "Wish we had a comb."

Santha couldn't respond. Every ounce of her considerable brain power was bent on analyzing her response to his touch.

"Where do I start?" He asked.

It took her a long time to comprehend and longer to respond.

"Front to back." She said finally. "The first inch needs to be tiny and tight. You may become progressively larger after that."

She pinched a larger portion to demonstrate. "The largest ones, back of skull and nape of neck."

"Fine, lets do this."

* * *

"Simon?"

He winced, he might have been pleased with the level of concern in Kaylee's voice if she didn't also sound so distressed.

"Hmm, yeah." He whispered hoarsely.

"Shepherd said not to bother you, but…" Kaylee's voice trailed off in what sounded almost like a sob.

Just then Wash came around the corner. "_Ta ma de_. What happened to you? You look like you've been attacked by a flock of birds."

Zoë appeared behind her husband just as Simon felt his balance start to waver.

"Hold there, Doc." Zoë pushed past her husband. "Is your side hurt?

"No." He tried, but no sound came out.

"Lean on me, then." She said. "Where were you headed?"

"Infirmary." He mouthed. "Can't talk."

"I'll get you there."

Simon was grateful for her guidance, but didn't lean heavily.

"Put your weight on me." The warrior woman instructed. "I can take it."

"Just unsteady." Simon finally managed a bit of volume. "Drugs wearing off."

"Drugs?" Zoë scowled. "What sort of stunt is this?"

Simon hoped that was meant rhetorically, because he wasn't sure how to explain.

Mal swore as he came upon them. "We've got you." He took Simon's other arm, peering into his face. "You sure did a number on yourself."

"Necessity." Simon stumbled as they entered the infirmary. "Shouldn't be up."

Mal and Zoë helped him into the exam chair.

"What do you need, Doc?" Mal asked.

"Hot tea." Simon nodded Mal's attention towards Kaylee and Wash in the doorway.

"Nothing to see here." Mal said. "Wash, go play pilot, Kaylee, go brew the Doc some tea."

Simon attached the life signs monitors to himself before allowing himself to collapse against the exam chair. He mentally reviewed his symptoms. No surprises. Good.

"Diagnostic scanner?" He asked, looking to Zoë, who was on that side of the room.

Zoë brought it to him, still frowning.

"Captain? You knew something about this?"

Mal winced slightly. Simon fiddled with the scanner, careful not to make any facial movements. They hurt right now.

"Pretty much, yes." Mal said. "Doc thought some cosmetic surgery would improve his looks."

"Captain?" Zoë's voice now held warning.

Mal stiffened in that I'm-the-captain way. "We did discuss it, he said it would be enough disguise to fool the Feds. Still looks like himself to me."

"Sir?" Zoë raised her eyebrows. "Except for the bruises you mean?"

"Yeah, I guess there's that." Mal agreed.

The scanner chimed and Simon busied himself with the readouts. He sighed in relief. Everything exactly as ordered. He hadn't been sure about the eye work, but he'd done it anyway.

"Everything shiny?" Mal asked him.

"More than." Simon mouthed, he needed to give his battered voice box a rest or it would be permanently scarred.

"I thought so!" Inara swept into the room. "Kaylee told me about the bruising. Sounded just like…" Her voice trailed off as she took in exactly how mangled he looked. "Oh my." She turned to Mal. "I'll take this from here."

Mal opened his mouth to protest.

"Send Kaylee in with the tea when she has it ready." Inara continued.

Something in her expression made Zoë tap Mal's shoulder and nod towards the door. He went with her.

"Companions all go through it." Inara said, sliding the door shut. "Most more than once. I don't think you could have picked this up on Ariel. Most hospitals don't stock it in the pharmacy." She held up a foil packet and shook it in front of his eyes.

Simon took it to make it stop shaking long enough to read the label. "No." He whispered. "I don't have anything nearly as nice."

"Oh, you poor baby." Inara was instantly more sympathetic. "You did the voice too? That's the worst."

Inara sterilized her hands. "Let me have that back." She opened a corner of the packet and carefully measured some of the medicinal cream onto her fingers.

"Quite a sight you are." Inara said, gently massaging the cream onto his bruises. "You should have warned us, you know. You frightened Kaylee, I'm sure she's imagining dire things. Hush, don't say anything."

Kaylee brought the tea tray soon. She looked apprehensively between them.

"He isn't hurt, _mei mei_. He just foolishly…" Inara glared at him. "Decided not to warn us before performing surgery on himself."

"Told Mal." Simon protested weakly.

"Don't talk." Inara glared more. "You think telling Mal makes it all better? What if you'd had a seizure? Or worse?"

"Book watched me." Simon mouthed. "Thought it would be best."

"Didn't think at all is more like it." Inara blew out a frustrated breath. "Give me that thing."

Simon handed over the scanner. He was forcibly reminded of his boss during his first hospital rotation. He'd learned more from that dragonlike woman than from any other senior doctor. She had pointed him to his own speciality.

Inara imaged her own face and showed him the results.

Simply, they made his recent surgery look pitifully minor. This work must have been done repeatedly most of her life to leave so much evidence.

"Thought you were born that way." He quipped.

Inara smiled tightly. "I was." She deactivated the scanner and stowed it away. "A Companion Trainee is molded and tweaked into an ideal. I'm rather older than I look."

"Oh."

Inara turned back to Kaylee. "Don't worry. He's doing fine. Give him a couple of days and he'll be all better. He just won't ever look the same again. Go on, I'll take care of him."

* * *

"Time to stretch." James said after a very long time.

Santha couldn't hold in a sob as she moved. One arm gave way entirely. She whimpered as she fell. He caught her shoulder before it made contact with his leg.

James rubbed her shoulder where he held it.

"Sorry, didn't realize I wasn't the only one in pain." He muttered.

Santha nodded, not trusting her voice. Despite her small outburst, the pain was minimal. The first movements after so much strained inactivity had been the worst.

"I got all the bittiest ones done." He let his hands drop and she felt him mentally push her away.

Santha nodded. "The essential ones that change the shape of my face." She crawled away from him in the tiny space. She sat curled up comfortably in order to give him room to stretch.

James licked his lips and flexed his fingers.

Santha suddenly noticed something she had only noted subconsciously before. James was still aroused. She knew it easily, even without peeking at his crotch, which she did now.

He had been secreting the more powerful than usual pheromones that signaled arousal since… before she had exited her trance. Possibly since they had first awoken.

"May I offer similar assistance?" Santha asked. Perhaps he needed her to make the first move.

James touched his head. "Huh?"

"Not plaiting your hair, restorative muscular manipulation." She watched him expectantly.

His blank expression did not leave. Santha raised her eyebrows and wiggled her fingers. "Massage?"

"Oh, ah, no… I… That is…" He trailed off. "I'll be fine if I just rest."

Doubtful. River's brain began silently. She nodded anyway and was shocked by the relief flowing off of him in waves. He didn't want her to touch him. He meant what he'd said.

It was endearing, truly. He was determined to delay…

Perhaps new variables should be factored into her equations. She hadn't considered his willpower, nor the possibility that he would make a concentrated effort to avoid touching her.

Santha moved so she was lying flat on her back. She modestly arranged the blanket to cover her knees as they tucked into her chest. Surprisingly comfortable, she decided.

James chuckled and Santha glanced over inquiringly.

He was moving, arranging himself on his side in a pose that lessened the noticeablity of his erection. Very considerate.

She decided not to mention it.

"Almost comfortable." She announced, stretching her arms to the ceiling.

"Glad to hear it." James said, grinning back. "Cause it looks mighty funny." The last two words came out sounding strained.

Santha received a clearly projected image of what her position would mean in terms of sex if they had more room. Disconcerted, she folded her legs into lotus position against the wall. "Better?"

"Maybe." He shifted again. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Santha blinked at him, uncomprehending.

"I mean when you woke up all gaspy?" He said.

Santha sighed. "No." She frowned.

How could she explain? Not only what she'd been doing, but the plan that was forming in the back left-hand quarter of her brain.

She closed her eyes. This plan took some considering. She would run the numbers after she was done considering the probabilities associated with her physical relationship with her cellmate.

"Hey. You sleeping again?" He asked.

"No." She repeated. "I wasn't sleeping before." She paused, the correct words surfacing. "I was doing creepifying reader things."

"Oh." His eyes widened as he processed the implications. "OH." He repeated. "Anything useful?"

Santha nodded. "Yes." She added aloud in case he wasn't watching.

"You doing them things now?"

Santha heard him shift again. He was worried she had knowledge of his physical state.

"No." Not exactly a lie, but misleading as far as the information he was hoping to acquire. Santha's calculations slowed, displaying potential results.

James relaxed, relieved.

Santha let him believe she was innocent enough not to notice what he didn't want her to see.

As intensely as he was trying, the probability could be as high as forty eight percent that she would leave this compartment as virginal as when she'd entered it. What an amusing concept.


	6. Rotten Target

Santha's calculations were as complete as she could make them. There were too many unknown variables for her liking. Some of them involving James' reactions to aspects of her plans.

No matter, she would go forward because if she could go back there was no reason to plan. She toyed with space-time calculations for a few moments.

"Do you remember…?" Santha began slowly. "The time I said I could kill you with my brain?"

Uncomfortableness stretched between them. It had a slightly different flavor than she was used to.

"Yeah." James grunted. "Ain't something a body can forget too quick-like. Was it true?"

Santha's eyes popped open almost on their own. She turned to look at him squarely. "Yes."

"But you ain't gonna, right?" James shifted nervously. "On account of us being friends now, right?"

Santha paused. "I never planned to." She said slowly. Odd, seemed like the slower she went, the clearer her words became. Interesting, perhaps excessive velocity of thought was part of her underlying insanity problem.

"You didn't? I mean…" His mouth made some rather unattractive fishlike motions.

"The threat was not empty." She told him. "Rather a warning which you heeded. Given because circumstances indicated you were redeemable. Not hopeless."

"Well, alright… good, but…" He frowned. "Why bring that up now?"

"There is someone aboard this vessel who deserves neither threat nor warning nor chance of redemption." She frowned. Did those words come out too harshly?

"You're gonna kill someone?" James scrambled to sit up a little.

"Yes." Her eyes narrowed slightly

"With your brain?" His voice was pitched higher than normal.

"Yes." Santha wasn't sure if a smile or a frown would be more appropriate so she kept her face neutral.

"Oh."

They stared at each other a moment longer. "How many people have you killed, James?"

He grunted. "Don't reckon 'James' has ever killed a one." He smiled faintly. "Jayne, now, Jayne lost count a long time ago."

"Two hundred and ninety six." She said flatly.

James blinked. "All with your brain?"

Santha laughed. "Not River," She said, still smiling. "The target."

"Oh."

"River's brain has killed twice. Her hands many times more than that and her left foot once." Her eyes got distant. "Most targets are not worth the consequences. This one is an exception. Probability is eighty nine percent that we will both be injured if he is part of the team that releases us into the wild."

"Wait, what consequences?" James panicked just a little. "What will happen to you?"

"I will lose consciousness. A headache is likely." Santha winced. "It is best done on an empty stomach as there may be vomiting." She licked her lips. "May River ask another favor of Jayne?"

"What is it?" He asked suspiciously.

"Hold me while I do it." She said quietly.

How could he refuse those pleading eyes? His gut clenched up.

"Yeah." He agreed after watching her for a moment. "Alright."

Santha sighed. "Thank you." She unhooked her legs and rolled onto her hands and knees.

"Now?" James asked, panic overtaking him.

"I will need time to recover before the ship reaches our planetary destination. According to the pilot, approximately two days remain." She winced. "I apologize in advance for the vomit stench. I must be alert at our destination for events to occur optimally."

"We'll get used to the smell." He said. "Come here." He shifted so he was comfortable.

Santha paused for a brief, analytical moment. Then she chose the half on top of him position she was always in when he woke.

"Are you comfortable like that?" He asked.

"Yes." Santha wrapped her skinny arms around him. "Hold on, please."

His arms hesitated, they felt sort of heavy. He raised them anyway and hugged her loosely.

"Shh," Santha raised her head so their eyes met again. "Clear your mind. Concentrate entirely on just being here. I'll be right back."

Jayne felt her go limp in his arms. The girl was gone. Somehow he could tell that the body he held was an empty shell.

That was even more creepifying than letting her kill some crazy _hun dan_ who probably did deserve it anyway. Hell, Jayne would kill the fellow himself if he'd had a gun and a clean shot. She'd given him enough motive to. Folk like that didn't belong among nice…

Wait, she wanted him to just be there. He grimaced. Like he was on a job that meant waiting, he supposed. Quiet and still and…

Somehow his thoughts wouldn't lie still. Every time he let go of his anxiety about what she was doing, he became extra aware of her body on his.

Maybe he could concentrate on his breathing. Deep breath in, then 'Hmmm' on the way out. That was better.

Couple of years ago he'd have…

No. 'Hmmm' Just breathe.

He lost track of time. Not that he'd had a good sense of it since…

'Hmmm'

He didn't know when he should start worrying. He didn't want to disturb her work…

'Hmmm'

* * *

She was floating again, seeking that spot of rottenness. He wasn't difficult to find. River paused near him.

Strange, she could still feel Jayne wrapped around her. Warmth, comfort, safety. When had Jayne come to mean those things?

It was curious, her dream-self had never felt so connected to her physical self.

Fondness filled her, Jayne was humming to her. Excellent. She hadn't considered instructing him to do that.

She turned herself back to the task at hand.

The toad was screening Cortex shows. He gave no thought to the plot or dialogue. His brain supplied both. He fantasized about what he would do with the players if he had them in his power. Torture rape and death were common elements. Actually, once you overcame the gruesomeness, he was surprisingly repetitive.

For the briefest moment, River considered maiming him so he could suffer before he died.

No. Swift, precise. No chance of saving him. That was much better.

River inserted a neurological sequence into the toad's brain. It was poetically similar in construction to computer code. The signal shut him down piece by piece. Conscious brain first, then heart, lungs, lower functions.

River withdrew from his mind. Funny, she didn't feel different.

She probed at the toad. Going. In another ten seconds he would be unreviveable. She waited the long moments. Time often passed oddly when her brain walked alone.

Then she reached for her own body. She was instantly enfolded in Jayne's presence.

She gasped suddenly and her eyes popped open.

"Hey." James said softly. "It's done?"

"Yes." She held him tighter, pressing her whole body against him while she shuddered uncontrollably.

James gritted his teeth and held her close. She needed him.

"You gonna be sick?"

She moaned. "No." She said after a while.

"River?"

"Santha." She corrected.

"Right. Lets shift around a little. Maybe I can do some more of those braids."

River lay still and quiet on top of Jayne. When his arousal made itself known, she ignored it, because he wanted her to.


	7. Planetfall

Personal Note: waves I hope everyone had a good Solstice centered holiday. (regardless of which you celebrate)

* * *

Jayne was pretty damned glad _not_ to wake up with River all sprawled across him. She was touching him, but it was hard not to in this space. That was her sitting against his side, but he… Anyway.

"Know you're awake." She said happily.

Jayne pried his eyes open to look at her. She had the storage compartment open and she was fiddling around in it. He could hear some sort of metallic scraping going on in there.

"Whacha doin?" He grumbled.

"Preparing to disembark." She burbled.

Jayne blinked. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen her so happy looking. She was quietly mumbling and humming to herself.

Suddenly River turned towards him and smiled.

Damn. To think he'd thought he might be getting used to having her so close.

"Are you hungry, James?" Her smile didn't leave, but the scratching sound stopped.

He touched his stomach, trying to figure out if he was or not. "Not yet."

She turned back to the compartment again, humming louder.

Jayne shifted so he could see what she was doing.

Their only blanket was laid out in one half of the space and everything they had was piled on top of it. The food, the empty wrappers and a pile of things River had pried off of the waste recycling machine.

She was using a strip of something to remove screws from it now.

"Ain't you afraid they'll beat us for cutting stuff up?" Jayne asked.

River shook her head. "The bird will fly away before vandalism is discovered."

He watched her, half looking for a topic that would fill the silence.

"You didn't get sick." Not that he wanted to deal with vomit stench.

Her nose wrinkled. "I don't know why. Except... last time I was more emotional. Scared, angry…" She shivered and concentrated on her work.

"What about the first time?" Jayne wondered aloud.

She turned to look at him, staring for a disquieting moment. "Two by two." Was all she managed to say.

"You mean two of those _hun dans_ that go around making people scream?" He swallowed. "Like on Ariel?"

"Like them, yes."

She placed another screw in the old food tray and pried the side of the machine off.

"You're afraid of me." Her words were somewhere between a statement and a question.

"No." He adjusted his body into a more comfortably position. "I figure you ain't gonna hurt me if you ain't done it yet."

She met his eyes. "Logical. Not necessarily true." Her lips twitched. "I could be biding my time, choosing my moment."

Jayne shook his head. "Naw. Its on account of my good looks and pleasing manner."

Her laugh didn't quite sound like she agreed. "Yes, of course. You're right."

He scowled.

"Hmm." She sounded pleased. She continued to pick and pry at the machine, removing bits one at a time. Most of the pieces went onto the blanket, but some got tied into her hair or slipped into his pockets.

Jayne watched her work. "You really think they'll let us take all that with us?"

River nodded. She paused for a few seconds then spoke slowly. "They have 'given' us the food. If we do not take it out of the cage, we forfeit it, we 'give it back.' They want us to give it back but will not hinder us when we take it with us. It is part of our official supplies, they will not leave us more food than this."

"You know what's gonna happen?" That was news to Jayne.

"I am the creepifying reader." She reminded him. "I know enough to form plans. They split up their cargo, two by two."

"Wouldn't we have a better chance in a group?" Jayne was starting to worry.

"There is a loophole in the law. The bounties will be higher if they create more settlements. What the law intended to indicate townships, can be interpreted as homesteads. The other couples will be farther than a comfortable days walk."

"Huh, what else?"

"Don't resist. James must not attempt to overcome our captors. Our chances of survival are better than our chances of success against the men carrying guns." She frowned, cute little lines formed on her forehead. "They have planned extensively. They have done this before."

Jayne didn't want to hear that. He wanted to bash in some skulls.

River stared at him with those gorram huge eyes of hers.

"James must promise." She leaned towards him, glaring intently.

"But…" He groped around his brain for another plan. "You could kill them all with your brain and we could fly us home." Jayne suggested.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Look around the box. Who would let us out?" She tilted her head.

"Well, do it when they let us out, then." He suggested.

"They use a shuttle. Short range, not spaceworthy." She turned back to disassembling the machine. "Even if we stole the shuttle, pursuit would be inevitable, capture certain, punishment grievous. They outnumber us, outgun us and the probabilities indicate failure."

She sighed. "Besides, you will see, there will be no opportunity presented."

"Then I ain't gotta promise." He groused.

"Indeed." She sounded amused again. "Just try not to get us killed."

Like he really would. He was good at what he did, gorramit.

"Would James please pull on this?" River asked.

"Ri-Santha…" He still wasn't sure they should be tearing up bits of the ship.

"I said please." Her expression got all hurt and hopeful.

How was a fellow supposed to resist when a girl made that kind of eyes at him? He reached into the gut of the machine.

"Here." River guided his hand. "Pull towards you."

He sighed and obeyed. It was stuck tight, but gave after a few seconds. His arm shot back and bounced on the padded wall.

"Thank you." She laid the part into the blanket, smiling again.

"You're all happy today." Jayne grumbled.

She nodded. "Freedom approaches. There is much to be done in preparation."

River looked over the bones of the waste recycler and nodded. She turned to the speaker on the wall.

"Ain't that dangerous with electricity running thru it?" Jayne asked.

"My tool is insulated." She showed him the strip of metal she was using to unscrew the panels. She'd wrapped plastic from the food containers around the end she was holding.

"How do you know…"

"Because I have not been electrocuted." She explained, turning back to her work.

"Taking a risk." He complained.

"Worth it."

River continued her destructive work. She even pried at the padding of the cell, but gave that up after only a moment. At least this was a bit of revenge. The gorram idiot slavers would have to refit this cell completely.

"I'm taking the light next." She began tying the blanket into a tight package. "I will hand you the pieces to put in your pocket."

She was still handing him useless bits of salvage when they felt the tremors of atmosphere. "Brace." River ordered suddenly, throwing herself onto his chest.

Jayne reached out with feet and hands, pushing as hard as he could into the padded walls. River clung to his shoulders and braced with her feet.

"Now." She said, almost as soon as they were secure.

Jayne tensed a bit more. The ship hit dirt with more force than the average spaceship landing. The parcel of food and salvage bounced against his arm.

River giggled. "The pilot is being chastised. He has broken a landing strut."

Jayne grunted.

"Now we wait. It won't be long. I…" Her voice grew uncertain. "I think I should go watch. Hold me please?"

"Riv…" He sighed. "Alright." He pulled her towards him again.

It seemed like she was only gone a moment this time, then she was back and gasping. He was almost getting used to this.

"Shuttle is undamaged, so plans proceed." As she said it, they felt the acceleration of the shuttle taking off.

"We're already on the shuttle?" Jayne felt his forehead wrinkle. He'd thought they might have a chance when they were moved.

"Yes, they have done this before. The cells are on the shuttle." She didn't bother to move off him, and Jayne decided he didn't mind.

"Wouldn't it save fuel to detach in atmo like Inara does?" Jayne asked.

"That takes more skill than possessed by our current pilot." She sounded amused. "We killed the one who could do that. We are very costly cargo."

The shuttle made three clumsy landings before their compartment opened.

"Everybody out." Barked a hard voice. They couldn't see who spoke because the light was too bright.

River shifted and gestured that he should go first, then she shoved the blanket wrapped bundle into his arms.

He felt like protesting.

"Go." She whispered.

Jayne exited the sleeper cell feet first, bringing along the food.

River followed immediately.

There were only two men outside, but their gun barrels didn't leave much room for negotiating.

Jayne took in their surroundings at a glance. They were standing in a wooded area. He could see a planet in the sky, so that indicated they were on a moon, a fairly small one judging from the feel of it.

There were two crates with a Colony Office logo on them placed some distance away from their captors.

He glanced back, the girl was out. The bank of sleeper cells were welded into the side of the shuttle. The doors opened right up to the outside. Jayne's gut clenched. Those doors wouldn't hold up to a hard vacuum.

"Over there next to the crates." The man on the left spoke. He had either a lisp or an accent, hard to say which.

Jayne went, trying to keep his body between the men and River.

"Just got some paperwork for you fine folks before we leave you to your new home." The taller man was probably in charge, he was the only one talking.

"No paperwork until we are supplied with information." River said, stepping around him.

Both gun barrels shifted slightly towards the girl. Damn. Jayne had an instinctive urge to pull her behind him, but after barely a heartbeat, she started talking again.

"Sergei Illavich Terni and Martin Cramer of the bulk cruiser I Henry's Star/I under section V, Paragraph P of the Resettlement Code, you are bound by law to render any and all current planetary information to new settlers upon landing. Including and not limited to a complete copy of the Settler's Handbook as published by the Alliance Colonial Resettlement Office."

She shifted her stance to mimic military parade rest. "I will wait for you to retrieve those documents before we deal with the paperwork."

Jayne was impressed. She sure sounded like she knew what she was talking about.

The two men whispered together, guns still raised.

Jayne saw the opening. He could… River's hand on his arm stopped him. She shook her head slightly.

The one who'd done the talking stomped back into the shuttle.

The other firmed up his grip and glared at them over his gun barrel.

Jayne relaxed. Moving now would only get River/Santha shot for sure. After that little speech the man was more focused on her.

The one with the accent was gone for a long time. When he finally clomped back down the ramp he held a cheap looking palm-held book reader and a handful of data wands. He handed both to River, scowling. Then he backed up next to his partner.

"Your compliance in this matter will be noted." Ri-Santha told the man. "Give me the papers and I will fill them out."

Their captors glanced uneasily at each other.

"We usually…"

"That is immaterial. I will enter the appropriate data on the forms." River insisted.

The shorter man put the folder he was holding down on the ground. He tossed a pen on top.

River calmly walked forward and took them. She retreated to the crates and knelt to use one as a table. She opened the folder and started writing. Her hand moved quickly, without hesitating. Jayne stepped closer to read what she was writing. Either her cover story was really detailed, or she was able to make shit up real fast. When she got to his forms she didn't hesitate either.

When she was done she walked the file right back to the men and handed it to them.

"Tell your captain he could lose his license if he doesn't start following the spirit of the law." River said. "You may use your camera now."

The shorter man, still looking spooked, took a little camera off his belt and aimed it at River. He took a shot and turned to Jayne.

"Smile." River told him.

Jayne set his jaw.

Their captors exchanged glances, but the little one shot the picture anyway. When he was done, they both disappeared onto the shuttle.

Jayne and River stood their ground as their captors took off, leaving them.

"Damn." Jayne said as they cleared the trees. He turned to the girl. "That was some mighty impressive talk, River-girl."

"Santha." She corrected, not looking up at him as she fitted a data wand into the reader. She sighed as words began filling the screen.

"But…"

She looked up with a strained smile. "Her brother was wrong not to change their names and identities. Santha Brown is my best, most complete cover. She exists in the Cortex with my own face attached." She grinned. "The picture is six years old, but now they have a new one."

Jayne watched her, disconcerted, as she plugged in the chips one after the other. She scanned the index of each one before moving on.

"Well, I don't like being James." Jayne growled.

"You chose it." She said absently, scrolling thru pages of text and diagrams.

"Well I unchose it." He scowled.

"Hmm? You should have told me before we landed. Now you're entered in the Cortex as James Coleson. Can't take it back, continuity is important." She sighed and looked up, focusing on him. "What about Jamie? It sounds more like Jayne, but keeps our story intact." Her attention shifted back to the screen again.

While he was thinking that over, muttering "Jamie, Jamie," She found what she was looking for and squealed in excitement.

"Look!" She held the viewer up where he could see it.

"Huh?" He stared at the schematic without a clue what he was looking at.

"Communications device." She explained. "Cortex link. Full WAVE functionality." She said each word reverently.

"That's just a picture. We don't have all the parts to make something like that."

River grinned at him, then laughed aloud at his expression. "We'll find all the pieces. We have a whole world to find them in." She made a sweeping gesture. "We will find them one by one, then Captain Mal will come for us as a father returns for his children."

Jayne decided to let it go. "If you say so, girl."

River turned the reader back to herself and continued her exploration of the data it contained.

Jayne watched her for a moment. "I need to pee. Can you stay right here for a little bit?" Wasn't all he was planning, but he didn't want to bring that up.

"Certainly." She didn't look up from her book. "Go relieve yourself. I will be safe enough."

Jayne didn't go far. In fact, he stayed close enough that he could see the back of her head. He hoped that she wasn't doing her reader thing right then, because his 'relief' didn't come until he let himself think about how good she felt pressed against him. Nothing wrong with using the fine memories.

When he was done and buttoned back up, Jayne leaned against a tree and looked at her.

How had this happened, anyway? Stranded alone with the crazy girl on some unknown moon.

Could she really make a Cortex link out of nothing? It wouldn't do any good to tell her she couldn't. Especially since maybe she really could.


	8. Lines of Causality

"I found a local map." River said as Jayne reentered the clearing left by the shuttle. She stood gracefully and held the book up. "The shuttle computer marked our current location when it was copied."

"Good." He looked at it. "Is this a river?" That was strange for a small moon. Then again, the variety of plant life was strange.

"Yes, it was part of the terraforming. It meanders around the entire orb." She manipulated the screen to show a turning planet.

Jayne frowned. Green moons were rare. Most were some other color. He could make out a wide snakelike band of darker, lusher plants. Must be around the river.

"Go back." Jayne requested. They looked at the local map again. "What about this?" He pointed to an oddly shaped formation just south of them. It was surrounded on three sides by a bend in the river.

River tugged the reader back to her eyelevel and fiddled with it some more. "Looks like raised, rocky ground. Possibility of caves 73 percent."

"How far is it?" He asked. High ground near the water source sounded like a good place to set up camp.

"Only about a mile, according to the map." She frowned. "It could be more. Sometimes the mapping satellites are incorrectly calibrated. That way."

Jayne looked the direction she was pointing.

"The trees are troublesome." River shivered. "New, unoccupied moon? Trees so tall are more, much more than ten years growth." She shook herself. "The lines of causality do not run straight."

He grunted as he worked thru her meaning. Girl had a point.

"Indicates a probability of failed colonies." She continued.

"That gives me a mighty uncomfortableness." Jayne said. "Lets go there." He pointed to the rocky spot on the map again. "We should set ourselves up nearer the river and I like the thought of high ground."

River looked around. "Their expectation was for us to remain here."

Jayne grinned wolfishly. "All the more reason to go."

He crouched next to the crate she wasn't sitting on, preparing to hoist it.

"Wait, don't." She waved him away, looking at the databook again.

"I can come back for the other one." He said. "They're made to stay tight even if they get rained on."

River just shook her head and opened the crate she was sitting on. She dug through it long enough to find a coil of rope and a hatchet. She latched the crate back up and laid the rope on top.

"Whoa, girl." Jayne said, backing away slowly.

"He is already wearing red." She looked amused as she said it. She glanced back down at her book and walked purposefully towards the crushed plants left by the shuttle. Jayne was startled to realize she was humming the lullaby he'd sung to her that first hour in the cell.

He watched for a moment as she hacked uselessly at the trunk of a broken sapling.

"Gorramit, girl!" He marched over to her. "Tell me what to do." He reached for the hatchet.

River paused, he could see her analyzing the situation. "Your proposal represents an optimal solution." She handed him the hatchet, handle first.

"What?" He took the tool.

"You're right." She smiled up at him. "You should wield the weapon. We need two trunks or long branches." She reached above her head to show how long they should be. "We also need three or four shorter branches." She indicated a length just smaller than her full arm span.

Jayne shook his head and quickly gathered the sticks she wanted. He watched as she arranged them and began lashing them together with the one long length of rope.

"We could cut the rope." He suggested.

"No." She said, struggling with it. "We may need the length later. No unnecessarily diminishing resources."

The sun had moved in the sky before she was done.

"Room for all the cargo." She said happily. She had him move both crates onto the frame and added the food parcel as well. She tied everything in place using the rope from the other crate, then rigged the extra length into two large loops. She padded the loops with blankets from the crates, handed him one and put the other around her own chest.

"You're joking, right?" He blinked at her, no, she was still getting ready to help him haul.

"She is serious." River said earnestly. "I want to help."

Jayne shook his head. "_She_ should scout the path so he…I don't have to backtrack none. Just stay close."

Jayne crossed the two loops over his chest and hauled. The contraption moved over the ground easier than he would have expected. It was lighter too.

She led them, chattering as she went. At first he thought she was spouting nonsense again, but he realized slowly that she was identifying things as she went. Before long she was checking against the data book.

"Stop!" She called suddenly. She rushed past him and opened one of the crates. She pulled out yet another blanket. She tied it onto herself by the corners so it made sort of a big pouch.

Jayne watched her with bemusement. He shrugged, she was the crazy one, after all.

River began picking little brown things off the ground and stowing them in the blanket.

"Ri-Santha…" Jayne shook the question out of his head. He didn't really want to know what she was doing.

She paused, looking at him. "Is it really so difficult for him to remember Santha?"

Jayne started hauling again.

She made a cute little exasperated noise.

He groaned might as well tell her. "I'll get used to it. My regular trim on Persephone was named Santha."

Her eyes met his. "You see the same girl each time?" Her stillness unnerved him.

"Usually, if I go to the same whorehouse." Jayne could tell she was curious. Hell, why not talk. They were fixin' to get to know each other inside and out, being stranded together.

"Most of the whores I visit are real nice folk." He grinned at her. "But I ain't never met one I liked well enough to try to lure her away from the trade." Her innocent expression made him clear his throat and go on.

"Regular paying customers are a girl's livelihood. If a girl gets to know me and what I like, ain't no reason to let some other pretty bit steal my coin away from her."

"Admirable." River murmured, barely loud enough to hear.

"I got a few rules, is all. I stick to one girl in any one place, unless she introduces me to another, hinting-like. That happens sometimes."

River tilted her head like she was trying to figure that out.

He adjusted the harness straps before continuing. "If I walk in while she's busy, 'my' girl might let a friend take care of me." He explained. "Or, sometimes it's because they don't want to see me again." He shrugged. "Ain't important."

"You are honorable." River said slowly.

"No, I ain't." He frowned.

River's face contorted into several odd expressions in rapid succession. "Maybe that is the wrong word, maybe it isn't."

Jayne nodded.

"But tell me this, would you ever sleep with a whore, then not pay her?" River asked slowly.

"Never. That would be like…" Jayne said with some anger. He wasn't that kind of…

"Say it." River pressed. "It would be like what?"

"Ain't we supposed to be hiking?" He grumbled.

"Say it." River repeated. "I hear it already, say it out loud."

Jayne's jaw worked with anger or some other emotion.

"Rape." He finally ground out. "It would be like rape. Stealing too, I guess, but… stealing don't bother me much."

"You don't think you'd ever rape someone?" The little smile playing along her lips made him angry again.

He swore colorfully. "No, gorramit. Ain't that come clear to you yet?" He'd just proved that, hadn't he? Surviving days with her in that sleeper cell…

"Yes." Her smile grew in size.

His anger evaporated. "What do you take me for, anyway?" He grumbled.

"Honorable." She seemed entirely too pleased with herself. She skipped off, only to become distracted again by picking more little lumps from the ground.

"Gorramit, girl, what the hell are you doing?"

"Collecting edibles." She came back to him and held one up for him to see.

"Huh." It was a nut. He'd seen those at market, but never wasted coin on them.

Her face lit up again. "Oh, look." She scampered off. "Turnips." She knelt and started scratching at the dirt with her hands.

"Wait." Jayne called. "I think I saw a spade."

"Jamie is quite correct." She inspected her hands. "Santha is going to damage herself." She ran back to him and dug through the crate.

"Pull the sled, Jamie-boy. Santha will only dig up a few. That way there will be more later." She hummed happily.

"Keep up." He called when he almost couldn't see her anymore. He waited until she joined him.

She mostly stayed pretty close. He half watched her as he hauled. She was referring to her book more and more to identify the plants they passed.

She chattered to him the whole time, mostly gibberish, but she called herself Santha every other sentence or so.

"Those are gorram maple trees." Jayne said suddenly.

Ri-Santha looked back at him. "Yes, _Acer saccharum_ the sugar maple. I already said that."

"Planted straight as an arrow, too." He mused. "These trees ain't cheap. My granddad planted twenty of them for the syrup. There are hundreds of them here. Why would someone plant them out here in the middle of nowhere?"

Ri-Santha walked all the way back to him. "Wasn't nowhere, once." She pointed to a bristly line of bushes.

That was arrow straight too. Chills ran down Jayne's spine. He stopped and carefully removed the harness.

She was right. Those bushes were a shaggy hedge, beyond them was a rectangular pit. It was overgrown too, but at some point someone had carefully, lovingly, lined the pit with stones. This was the foundations of someone's house. It was abandoned a long time ago. There was no trace of the original structure, just the pit.

"Terribly creepifying." He muttered, returning to the sled. "Let's get elsewhere."

"Old." Santha mused. "Not even any ghosts left." A moment later she laughed and pointed up. "Look."

Jayne looked. He laughed too, less amused. Halfway up the trunk there was a wooden bucket attached to the trunk. Bark had grown partway over it. He measured the distance up the tree against where he would put the bucket if he was harvesting here. Years and years ago.

Jayne looked around the grove. Shit. Someone tapped all these trees that long ago but not since. Jayne licked his lips. Maple syrup.

When they moved on, Jayne started to see more signs of abandoned settlement. Almost rectangular fields growing a sad mix of mostly weeds with big patches of food crops. More building foundations, a few stone walls, overgrown orchards and even a sick looking vineyard.

The sun was still in the sky when they found the river. It wasn't long then until they found the rocky outcropping they were headed for. Both of them set their burdens down and explored the area.

"No caves." Jayne was sorry. He'd kinda liked the idea of sleeping in a cave.

"Might have already been occupied." Santha's eyes shone with mischief. "Look, Jamie, we can build a cave right here." She held her arms out and twirled around.

She was right, she was standing in a good spot. It was the closest thing to a cave this hill had. There was a wall of exposed rock behind her and the top of the hill hung out a few feet. It faced away from the river. More importantly, it was well above the highest flood line.

Jayne nodded. "We need to rig up a shelter."

"Santha has done some thinking on that topic. We also need fire and adequate bedding." She pointed out. "The ground here is sharp."

"I'll deal with the shelter." He pulled the supplies off the sled and started taking the frame apart. No use wasting the logs he'd already cut.

Jayne was busy trying to rig up something that vaguely resembled a tent, so at first he didn't notice the truly massive pile of deadwood that River was amassing.

"How big a fire are you planning?" He barked. She was returning to camp, dragging a log taller than she was by hugging it against her.

She tilted her head in that questioning way. "A little one to cook on, a long one to last all night."

She dropped the log and brushed braids off her shoulder.

"You say you thought about shelter?" Jayne asked when the structure he was building collapsed yet again.

River opened one of the crates and pulled out the databook. Funny, he hadn't noticed her put it in there, but it made sense to protect it.

She held a diagram up for him to look at. "Temporary shelter."

Jayne studied the drawing, mouth working as he made out the words. "Right."


	9. Kaia Brown

Once Jayne was satisfied with the shelter and Ri-Santha had the fire roaring, they sat down to eat the part of her gatherings that didn't need to be cooked. She'd found all manner of greens that could make up a salad.

Jayne held up one with red veins dubiously.

"Beet greens." She supplied. "Completely edible." She plucked it out of his fingers and chewed it enthusiastically.

"So, why does your name gotta be Santha, anyway?" Jayne asked. "Academy folks must not know about the name if you're using it."

The sun had finally gone down. Seemed like, despite the size of this little moon, the engineers had been able to give it a long enough day for humans.

Santha stretched out on her back on the ground. "I went through a phase. Actually I went through a lot of phases. This one started when I was six."

She raised one hand in the air and waggled the fingers in the firelight. "Alright, I guess I never outgrew my phase." She dropped her hand back to her stomach. "I was always good at math and numbers. Researching things on the Cortex was like a game. When I was six I started making capitol gains on my pin money."

"Your what?" Jayne ate steadily.

"The money my parents gave me each week." River picked up greens from her pile one at a time and inspected them before lowering them into her mouth.

"Oh. Like an allowance." Watching her was almost more fun than eating.

"Exactly." She rolled onto her side facing the fire and poked at the food objects resting near the coals.

"They gave you a lot of money?" Jayne hadn't ever gotten more than a few coppers at a time until he'd started working.

"I suppose so, but not more than my friends received." She waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, six year olds are not supposed to make gains on their pin money. So I invented an adult alias to do the investing, Kaia Brown."

Santha laughed at the memory. "Kaia was an incredibly good investor. I made my first million when I was eight. The second million is always easier than the first. Santha is Kaia's daughter. She is just exactly my age plus six months."

"Why older?" Once he got over the thought of all that cashy money, her story was pretty funny.

Santha's laugh was musical. "I was looking forward, of course. There are always times you wish you were just a little older. Although, I suppose I missed many of them."

Jayne didn't like to think on the things she'd missed.

"In any case, there were times when my parents were away or even off planet. Whenever that happened, Santha came out to play. I always had to hire a minder for myself."

She pulled one of the nuts out of the fire and rolled it close to her. "Usually through an agency. I had them pick me up at a hotel, arranged remotely by Kaia, of course. The minder would take me to plays or the zoo or art museums, wherever I decided I wanted to go, again, all arranged by Kaia."

"So your parents didn't know about this?" Jayne found it hard to believe it. Didn't her parents have someone watching her while they were out of town?

"Nope, neither did Simon. When I was thirteen I went on a tour of Sihnon. I was supposed to be visiting friends on the other side of Osiris during my summer break at school." She laughed. "My minder picked me up at the usual hotel in Capitol City, took me aboard a passenger liner and brought me home again when the tour was finished. We both had a marvelous time."

"Wait a minute. What happened to all the money?"

"Well, its all sitting in accounts overseen by a bank manager that I have never met in person." She rolled her hot nut onto a flat stone and hit it with another rock. "I wrote a computer program sophisticated enough to answer his most likely questions. I have no idea how my accounts are doing, actually."

"Why…?"

"Why didn't I use my money while I was on _Serenity_?" She smiled up at him. "I can hardly string together two sentences that make sense."

"You're doing fine now." He grumbled. All that money, just sitting there.

"You're the only one here." She picked white nutmeat out of the smashed shell and ate it.

"That makes a difference?" He frowned hard. Had she ever made so much sense to him as since he'd been forced to listen?

"Apparently." Santha said.

"Huh."

"The nuts are ready, pull as many as you want out of the fire." She reached in with her stick and snagged a couple more.

"So, how much money are we talking here?"

"Ten or twelve million, I suppose." She shrugged as she said it, as if it didn't matter.

"Ten million credits?" That kind of money definitely mattered to Jayne.

"No, ten million platinum." Her secret little smile said she knew how he would react to that.

He didn't disappoint. "That's like a hundred million."

"Not really." Santha looked amused. "The last I checked, the exchange rate was more like eight point three six credits per platinum."

Jayne let the surprise roll out of him. "Well, you can't get to it from here." He said philosophically.

"Not yet." Santha agreed. "Not until I build a machine that can connect to the Cortex."

* * *

Simon was grateful for his sore voice. It allowed him to think in solitude for several days. Inara checked in on him and plied him with herbal teas. She also shook her head disparagingly at him at intervals without additional provocation.

Shepherd Book sat with him sometimes. That was usually pleasant. Most of the others left him alone, even during mealtimes.

Kaylee was ignoring him. Not that Simon blamed her.

She had an amazing ability to ignore a person while having a regular conversation with them. It was all in tone of voice and lack of eye contact.

Simon found this painfully disconcerting. He'd seen her do it to Mal before, but this was the first time he'd been on the blunt end of her considerable, cheerful ire.

When Inara cleared him to speak normally again, Simon spent some time in his room, trying out his new voice. It was harsher than it used to be, he wouldn't be singing in any choirs.

He also allowed himself to look into a mirror for the first time. His bruises were faded and the reduction of swelling revealed his new face shape. He held the image that circulated with his warrant up where he could see both faces.

He sighed. Yes. That should be enough.

His cheeks were rounder, the bridge of his nose was wider, and his chin had a slight indent that wasn't quite a cleft. The most important thing was his eyes. Without a proper hospital environment that was also the most dangerous reconstruction. He had reshaped his eyelids. They now had a distinctly asian appearance. That alone might have been enough, but he wanted to be thorough.

Simon set down the image and took a deep breath. It was time to face the consequences of his impetuous, although well planned actions.

The crew was assembled in the dinning room already, which made things easier.

He entered the room and paused, surveying the truest friends he'd ever had.

"I want to apologize." Simon announced. "I'm sorry I acted hastily. I wanted to make it up to you all by discussing my plans with all of you." He spoke softly, as Inara had advised.

"I take it you have some interesting plans?" Mal asked. The captain wasn't ticked off at him. Just the women. All of the women, and Wash as well, the man naturally sided with his wife.

"A few." He acknowledged.

"Then come in, Doc." Mal said. "Don't lurk in the doorway."

Simon entered the room. Kaylee pointedly looked away from him. She was at the stove, working on dinner.

"I especially wanted to apologize to you, Kaylee. I didn't mean to frighten you." Since she didn't look up from the pan she was stirring, Simon took a deep breath and looked around. "I came to your home a fugitive, and I have endangered you with my presence every day since then. I want that to change, and I would also like to make my home with you."

"We… Let's all sit." Mal said with authority in his voice.

Wash and Zoë came to the table from the crash seating area. Shepherd Book put his bible down.

"I want to stop being a liability. I need a new identity to go with my new face and voice. I also need an occupation to help support the ship. I think I can arrange to pay my way if I have solid enough papers."

"I don't regret keeping you on, Doctor." Mal said firmly.

"I'm glad you feel that way, because I have a favor to ask you." Simon looked around. "I was hoping you had some connections who could help me acquire papers." He knew his smile was strained.

Mal nodded once. "Might be that I do."

"I'm quite sure I do." The Shepherd said enigmatically. "Ones who could provide papers that might hold up better under pressure." His smile was odd.

"Friends a man of God would admit to?" Mal asked, not quite hostilely.

"Not usually." Book agreed.

"I don't have much in the way of resources, but that should change once I'm not a wanted man anymore." Simon said. "I want to re-certify as a doctor. I could do so much good out here if I could practice openly."

"Could you do that without going to school again?" Kaylee asked. She took her pots off the stove and joined them.

"There are several correspondence courses that end in a valid doctor's license." Simon smiled at her. At least she was looking at him again. "My new identity could be a legitimate general doctor within a year. Sooner if I can test out of any lessons."

Zoë nodded. "I had a cousin who became a doctor that way. Some places that's the only way they'd get any kind of medical care at all."

"Sounds like a right noble cause." Mal agreed. "I think the ship can invest in your future, Doc, as long as you pay me back."

"I'll get the ball rolling on ID." Book said. "Did you have any details planned?"

"I… not as such, no." He conceded.

"I think I know you well enough to get started." Book said. "Your accent could come from about four worlds. I'll start from there."

"You will need to chose a new name and discard the old one completely." Inara spoke with firm authority. "It is difficult, but not impossible to train yourself not to respond to the name you have used all your life."

Simon met her eyes. It really sounded like she was speaking from experience.

"You will never hear the name my parents gave me pass my lips." Inara said, confirming his sudden suspicion. "I would not flinch or turn around if they called me by it right now. Have you chosen a name?"

"Raymond." Simon said, firmly. "After a scientist whose work I have always admired. Ray for short."

Book wrote that on a scrap of paper he had been using to mark his bible. "Last name?" He asked.

"I hadn't thought that far." Simon admitted.

"Wong to go with your new eyes." Kaylee suggested. She even almost smiled at him.

"Yes." Simon agreed.

"Good." Inara said. "Now, we need two jars and a pile of coins or beans or…"

"Sounds like a game." Kaylee jumped up and rummaged around the lower cabinets. She returned in a moment with two old pickle jars and a dusty bag of dried beans. Someone had bought them on sale years ago, and everyone was sick of them long before this last bag was hidden away.

Inara took one of the jars and spilled all the beans in. She replaced the lid.

"Every time you respond promptly to your new name, we transfer a bean to the empty jar. Every time someone says your old name and you do not respond or even flinch, likewise, a bean transfers to the empty jar." Inara smiled. "Beans can pass the other way as well, so be careful. When your empty jar is full, there should be a treat or a prize. I'm sure Kaylee and I can come up with something."

Kaylee was beaming. "Sure we can. This will be fun, won't it, Simon?"

Simon stiffened slightly, his breath gathered as if to answer, but he held it back.

Kaylee let loose a gale of laughter.

Simon let himself smile slightly.

"I'll decorate the jars." Kaylee offered. "That way we can tell which is which when they get close to the same level."

Simon - Ray, he reminded himself - was glad to see her happy again.


	10. Protect and Provide

River woke first. She usually did.

Dim light filtered through the cracks in their shelter. Jamie's rickety tent-like lean-to would suit them for a few days, but she needed to comb the data she had on constructing permanent dwellings.

She was sore from sleeping on the collection of leaves and grasses that she had gathered. Apparently they needed more padding. In particular, there was a stone poking into her thigh.

She used that slight discomfort to distract her from the very comfortable feeling of Jamie's hand on her breast. At least until his thumb moved.

She was unable to regulate her startled intake of breath. Sweet heat spread through her woman parts.

"Sorry, Riv-Santh-girl." He mumbled. Still asleep, he withdrew his hand and turned away slightly.

Santha rolled onto her back in the small space, mostly to avoid that stone. A swift probe toward his mind told her Jamie was sleeping soundly and wouldn't notice her absence. She needed to escape his presence in order to think through her course of action in regards to their physical relationship.

She crawled out of the small shelter and went to stir up the fire.

Allowing him to take charge of the first night's shelter had been the right thing to do. It gave him something he could control. Psychologically, he needed something he could use his strength and talents to achieve. Unfortunately, it was also a task he had never attempted before.

Santha glanced back at the shelter and smiled. It would serve until he could build them something better. Oh, she would help, but his psyche required him to provide.

She dug the tubers she'd left to roast out of the coals. Turnips, carrots, and beetroots all softened by the heat. They were too hot to handle with her hands, but a handy stick served as a tool. Then she added some small combustible material and blew on the coals.

On Osiris, the fireplace was an ostentatious affectation. Luckily for them, she'd been allowed to tend the hearth if properly supervised.

Santha realized her mind was skirting around her intened topic. What was she going to do?

She didn't love James. However, in the society in which she was raised, neither love nor marriage was a prerequisite for intimacy. She did like him.

They weren't precisely friends before coming here. She winced. Alright, he rather hated her, didn't he? Honestly, he probably still would if he thought about it.

Santha added logs to the coals and babied them until they caught. They would need cooking vessels of some sort. In the mean time they would make do with what they could roast in the coals.

Back to the question at hand: did she want sex with Jayne? She deliberately let herself use his proper name.

Santha frowned. She caressed her breast where his hand had cupped it.

His hands on her body thrilled her. His innate honor was attractive. His countenance likewise. She shivered. Since they had been pushed together by their circumstances, she had become drastically more receptive to the concept of passion between them.

Santha called up her original emotional calculations. She examined them and herself as objectively as she could. Her original findings stood. She was not emotionally ready for a serious romantic attachment.

She briefly considered the likelihood of physicality without… no. Not given the circumstances and timeframe. They might have managed sex without attachment in a busy, people filled environment, but not here.

In forced solitude she knew they would both inevitably have intense emotional involvement. There was no one else to interact with.

Actually, that was a strong argument in favor of seduction. He wouldn't leave her if he was emotionally attached to her. He would stay, protect her and provide for her. That thought something stirred deep within her, some primal urge.

That was a sort of entrapment. As a civilized person, the idea appalled her more and more as she thought it through. She wasn't emotionally ready for that level of responsibility.

In addition, he didn't seem to need the incentive. He wasn't itching to leave her behind. She would have noticed that.

"I am not ready." She said the words aloud to the world. Then she laughed humorlessly.

On the other hand, she also superficially seemed to be falling in love with him. Or at least she longed for the physical contact his unintentional caresses promised.

Santha reached an internal compromise. If he decided to deliberately initiate sex, she would enthusiastically participate. When she felt she was physically and emotionally ready, she would convince him by any means necessary that they should become intimate. Always assuming he didn't take it for insane ramblings.

Always assuming that he actually wanted her. Her lips twitched. Oh, yes, he wanted her physically, that wasn't at issue.

Knowing that he wanted her body gave her a sense of feminine confidence she'd never known before.

Santha rolled a charred turnip towards her. It was still hot to the touch. She held it down with her forked branch and scraped at the sooty heat-blistered skin. It was soft inside and smelled wonderful. It tasted even better.

* * *

Jayne panicked slightly when Ri-Santha wasn't touching him when he woke. He was half up before his eyes were fully opened and he narrowly missed knocking the tent thing down.

He crawled out of the shelter and immediately spotted Santha staring intently at her data book. He caught his breath and leaned against the rock wall behind him. She was safe.

She needed new clothes. Her little sundress was too thin to be useful work clothes. It was already torn right at the knee.

Maybe they could alter one of the blankets to cover her up. Um, protect her skin, rather.

Santha raised her head and smiled at him.

"Breakfast is here on the ground." She said.

He moved towards her, suddenly smelling the roasted vegetables.

He blinked when he saw the burnt lumps.

"Just pull back the outsides, Jamie." Ri-Santha was laughing at him. "The insides taste good, I promise."

"We gotta rig a pot to cook in." Jayne muttered. He wasn't used to eating food that had sat in the dirt.

"Clean, sterile ash." Santha corrected.

"Hey, keep outa my brain." He grumbled. He was still sleepy and that made him ornery.

"Don't have to poke to know your meaning." Santha said cheerfully.

He sighed. "Sorry." He didn't want to fight with the girl. She needed him.

"I am not offended. I agree about the cooking pot." She lowered the data book to the ground and picked up one of the dirty lumps. She deftly pulled the skin off. The dirt peeled away too. She handed him the insides without further comment.

"Thanks." He said. "I'm sorry anyway."

"Apology accepted." She smiled. "How long do you think…" She waved her hand around at the whole moon.

Jayne took a bite and swallowed before answering. "How long the place has been abandoned?"

She nodded.

"About ten or twelve years, I'd say." The plain root vegetable was the best thing he'd ever tasted. "Just as the war started. From what we saw yesterday, some of the places were abandoned before, as much as twenty or thirty years at a guess."

"You conjecture the hostilities played a role in the final ceasing of colonization?" Santha asked.

Jayne wasn't exactly sure what she'd said, but he thought he understood her meaning.

He grunted. "More than one moon was evacuated during the war." He grimaced. "Damn shame too. If its so nice abandoned, think about how it must have been before they left."

She let him eat in silence, unwrapping his food for him just before he would have reached for it.

"Certain of the domiciles were not fully deteriorated." She said after a while.

"Stay out of them." He was alarmed when he processed what she meant. "Might fall down on top of you. We'll build us a nice little house right here. I like the spot."

She smiled, but didn't meet his eyes. She fiddled with adding to the fire instead.

"Something else on your mind?" He asked when the silence had stretched on too long.

"_Serenity_." She looked up at him. "Missing home."

Jayne nodded. "Missing your brother." He added gruffly.

"Yes." She stood abruptly. "Now that you're awake, I'm going to bathe in the river."

"But…" He had sudden visions of her pale, water drenched body…

"With my clothes on." She clarified quickly. "They also need a wash. You may join me or wait on the bank. I am a strong swimmer."

"Don't go in deep." He cautioned. His jaw worked as he thought it over. He was supposed to protect her. What if…

She looked at him oddly. "Would you prefer that I tie a rope around my waist."

"Yes." He felt a bit sheepish. "I don't swim so good. I don't think I could save you if a strong current caught you."

Ri-Santha nodded. "Safety is a good idea." She conceded.

"At least until you know the river." He said. "I won't go in past my knees."

Santha pulled the coil of rope out of a crate and began tying knots in it.

"Shall I tie the other end to you?" She asked playfully.

He nodded. "Good idea."

Her hands brushing against his waist made him change his mind. Very bad idea. He gritted his teeth.

She rushed off as soon as the line was secure. He followed more slowly, pulling off his boots and socks before stepping into the water.

His foot sank farther than he expected it to, and the bank crumbled slightly under his other foot. He managed to keep his balance, but he was glad she wasn't watching.

Jayne rinsed his socks in the slightly murky water and tossed them up next to his boots. He pulled his shirt off and wetted it, using the cloth to scrub at his body. If they weren't both here, he might strip bare. He settled for getting wet instead.

He kept himself from looking over at the girl until the line connecting them grew tight. Slightly confused, he realized that she was upstream. He looked. She'd swum against the current and was now floating back to him. When she reached the other end of the range of the rope, she turned again and fought the current again. She did that twice more before joining him in the shallows.

Her broad grin spread to him without him noticing.

"I'm tired." She said, still smiling.

"You should be." He answered. She looked cold too, maybe.

Santha's head turned suddenly, as if she'd seen something. Her manner changed, she hunched over and trailed her hands in the water.

Jayne was about to ask what was going on when she moved suddenly again. Water sprayed upwards, narrowly missing him. He almost yelled in protest when a silvery movement caught his eye. There was a gorram fish up on the bank, flopping around almost on top of his shoes.

Jayne looked back at Santha who was purposefully scanning the plants along the river bank.

She struck again and there were two fish next to his shoes.

"Do you know anything about cleaning fish, Jamie?" She grinned up at him. "Santha has never had the need before."

"How the gorram hell did you do that?" He demanded.

Santha laughed, which brought his attention back to how thin her dress was. Not to mention how wet. "My grandfather always claimed he could do that. I didn't quite think it would work."

Jayne followed her out of the water. She handed him her end of the rope and picked up both fish by the gills. They flopped around in her hands.

"I want a nap." Santha dropped the fish next to the fire. "If you don't want to cook them, fetch some water and keep them alive until I wake up. Close your eyes, Jamie boy."

He obeyed, still flabbergasted.

When she called that he could look, her clothes were all laying out to dry on the shelter and she was nowhere to be seen. Apparently napping meant naked.

Jayne looked down at the fish flopping on the ground. He shook his head.

Crazy.

But crazy was useful in her case.

He picked up the hatchet and the first fish.


	11. Reinventing The Wheel

"I ain't so sure I'm ready for thrillin' heroics, Captain." Zoë said from just inside the door to the dinning room.

"What's wrong?" Mal asked. He and Wash both stood, leaning towards her without moving their feet.

"Nausea, dizziness." Zoë grimaced. "Who cooked? Smells…"

She turned and staggered back towards her bunk.

"I'll go get my med kit." Simon said in the shocked silence.

Wash followed his wife.

Mal exchanged glances with Kaylee, Book and Inara, then he sat back down. He sniffed at his bowl. Smelled fine to him.

There could have been worse times for Zoë to get sick. When they were fighting Reavers, maybe. Or if they were going to go see Patience. Well, this meet couldn't be put off. Looked like he'd be going alone, unless…

"What do you say, Shepherd, you up for some heroics?" Mal asked dryly.

Book looked mighty uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, everything's legal today. I just need someone to watch my back. We're meeting a contact to get a job, not looking for payment."

Simon scurried past, not quite running, medical bag in hand.

"Only if Zoë isn't up to it." Book smiled faintly. "This should be educational at the very least."

Everyone at the table looked up again as Wash and Simon escorted Zoë towards the infirmary. Then they turned back and stared uneasily at their lunch.

It was only a few minutes later that Wash returned, looking bemused. He slid into his chair and proceeded to pour sugar into his soup.

Everyone watched him.

"Will Zoë be all right?" Shepherd Book finally asked.

"We never did discuss maternity leave, did we, sir?" Zoë's dry voice turned all attention to the hatchway.

Kaylee reacted first. "You're having a baby?" There were at least two happy squeals in there.

Kaylee jumped out of her chair and rushed over to Zoë. Once she was there she paused, but only for a moment, before folding the older woman in an un-Zoë-like hug.

Mal realized suddenly that he was holding his breath for Jayne's ribald remark. The one that couldn't come with the merc lost. It also crossed his mind that he missed being able to send the man out of the room for it. What an odd commentary on his own self.

"Sir?" Zoë was frowning at him.

"You ain't leaving me, are you?" Was all he could think to say. "Leaving _Serenity_, I mean? You don't have to. We can work around this."

His gut curled around the thought of losing Zoë and maybe Wash too. They'd already lost too many of the crew. "Safety features, playroom, nursery, whatever you need."

Zoë looked at him a little sideways. "Nobody said anything about leaving you, sir."

"Oh. Good. Well." He realized numbly that he'd stood up at some point without realizing it. "Come over here."

Zoë obeyed, eyeing him warily.

When she was near the table, Mal guided her gently to a chair. "Sit here, next to Wash. Just take it easy."

Zoë didn't sit. She looked at her captain as if he'd lost his mind. "I'm six weeks along, sir, walking to the table isn't going to shatter me."

Mal stepped back. "Right." He laced his fingers together and rubbed them almost painfully together.

"Ray gave me a shot for the nausea, I already feel fine." Zoë inhaled the food smells and dished herself a healthy portion. "Looks good."

"A shot, is that…? I mean…" Mal worried.

"Mostly vitamins." Simon/Ray unrolled his sleeves as he entered the room. "Best prenatal medicine a person could steal from a major Alliance hospital." He grinned and sat back down.

Mal suddenly realized he was the only one standing and forced himself to sit.

"You kept prenatal vitamins from the Ariel job?" Kaylee asked. "Why is that?"

Simon blushed. He looked down at his plate before mumbling. "Well, when you have three beautiful, sexually active women on a ship, isn't it best to be prepared?"

"I take plenty of precautions, thank you." Inara said in an amused tone.

"Oh, I have those too…" His blush deepened. "Contraceptives, I mean. Actually, I kept quite a few things from Ariel that I thought might be handy."

"I'm going to be a father." Wash sounded like he still might fall over. "My beautiful warrior woman wife is pregnant."

"That's right, dear." Zoë patted her husband's arm.

"Huh." Mal said. He was still working his mind around the whole concept. At least Zoë was planning to stay. That was good.

"Well, I am grateful, Ray." Zoë said around a mouthful of food.

Kaylee was still frowning slightly, but the others didn't seem to notice.

"So, Mal, about that maternity leave…" Zoë smiled wryly.

Mal turned to Simon instead of answering. "Ray, what's your medical opinion?"

"Well, of course I'd prefer that she stay out of danger…" Simon began.

"Oh, me too! I vote for out of danger." Wash broke in.

"However," Simon continued, unhindered. "Zoë is quite healthy, and she should be the one to decide how much she can handle when."

"Sort of a one day at a time thing?" Mal asked.

"Yes." Simon agreed.

"Don't I get to say anything?" Wash asked.

"No, sweetheart." Zoë said fondly. "We all understand that you have a huge ball of cotton-wool you'd like to wrap me in for the next eight months." She smoothed the frown off his face with her fingers. "That's why I love you so much."

"Humph."

"If the question is, should she go with you to meet the client today," Simon continued. "Of course, as long as she feels well."

"And I do." Zoë said firmly.

"I suppose I'll eventually need to hire on another gun hand." Mal grimaced. He hated that idea. It made him feel like he was giving up on getting Jayne back.

"Or you could take less dangerous work." Inara said mildly.

"Yeah? Like what?" Mal asked. Didn't she know it was difficult and dangerous to make a living out here?

"Oh, I have a few ideas." She smiled enigmatically. She was good at that. "Give me a couple of days to look into some possiblities, and perhaps I will have a job for you."

* * *

After detailed research into the variety of construction possibilities outlined in the Settler's Handbook, Santha decided on a stone and mortar structure. 

Always assuming she could get the mortar right. The instructions were slightly vague and incorporated a high number of variables.

"River, why the hell are you cooking rocks?" Jamie's voice was more confused than angry.

"_Santha_ is attempting to concoct building materials, specifically lime for mortar." Except for the stress on her name, Santha projected more optimism for her project than she actually felt. "I'm afraid We may need a larger fire in a contained space."

"Mortar as in what you put between bricks?" Jamie asked, crouching next to her.

Santha nodded. "Although stone is a more likely prospect."

"Huh." Jamie was quiet while his mind made the connections necessary.

"We start with one small cave." She still liked that image of their new home. "We can expand later."

"We need separate quarters." Jamie said firmly. "Ain't right sleeping so close." He didn't say it aloud, but he thought his ma would tan his hide if he let that go on a moment past what was strictly needful.

Santha died just a little inside. His innate honor, while appealing, was also occasionally disheartening.

"We can wall off small sections for personal comfort." She snatched up a stick and started drawing in the dirt, distracting herself with calculations. "That actually helps. That makes the required structure ultimately smaller and therefore less time consuming."

"How big a 'structure' are we talking here?" Jamie asked, oblivious to her emotional upheaval.

"Small." She pointed to the one mostly straight line in her drawing. "That is the natural rock face. I want to build a vault." She shook her head. "No, not the bank kind. Arches in the ceiling."

As a child she'd been fascinated by architecture. She loved the delicate grace of a domed ceiling, the artistry. It didn't make sense to her to take the time and energy to build something that wasn't also beautiful. The Handbook didn't include that sort of thing, but the math involved was simple enough.

Truthfully, the books she'd studied as a child influenced her design more than anything. She incorporated details from both ancient Rome, especially Pompeii and medieval Europe. The explanation of method in those well remembered books was a great deal more comprehensive.

She emphasized five points on a circle. "I like five legs on the vault. Five is elegant. It must be tall enough for you to stand comfortably. The pillars should perhaps stand to your shoulder height. The spaces between the pillars should also be wider than you are tall." She frowned, factoring in new parameters.

"Wouldn't it be easier to build a square room than a circle one?"

Santha paused to look up at him. "No. Rounded walls provide the greatest interior space with the smallest effort."

She moved on in her calculations. "I noticed a long stone wall on our way here. That will be a good source of building materials. Someone else has done the gathering work already." Her calculations slowed. Placing their sleeping quarters outside of the vault actually reduced the total amount of rock hauling by at least ten percent.

"We will place the door here. There will be doors to each of our rooms here and here. The fireplace can go in this section and a window in this one. There should be an extended arch here at the door to the outside, at least the width of the door in length."

"How are we gonna haul all that rock?" Jamie was still frowning down at her drawing. "You really think we can build that?"

"Yes. We can build that." Santha closed her eyes. Hauling the stones was indeed a flaw in her plan. "We re-invent the wheel." She finally decided. "One wheeled carts are a traditional building tool."

* * *

Note: There is a (poor) visual of what River is planning over at my LJ. Yes, I do know square would actually be easier. (Unless you're River.) The finished building will resemble an odd igloo growing out of the cliff. What can I say, River is special. 


	12. Brain vs Muscle

Jayne knew there was something really wrong when Santha didn't smile for a whole hour. Usually she was all giggles. Especially in the morning.

Today she was stormily looking over the trench they'd dug up with their spades. She had them outline the size and shape of their house so they could start building.

She insisted the walls had to be lots thicker than he wanted to make them. He'd argued, but then again, he'd never done this before. They were going to start setting rock in place today.

"Santha-girl." He brushed the hair over her shoulder so he could see her face better.

"What?" She frowned up at him.

"What's going on in your head?" Jayne asked.

"Nothing." She turned away.

"I know you better than that. There is something." Jayne insisted. He needed to know if there was a problem. He was good at fixing problems.

Santha sighed. "I'm running calculations on the house." She admitted. "I think my plan may be faulty."

"Yeah? What part? The circle part?" That was what gave Jayne the most trouble.

"No, not exactly." Her frown deepened. "I designed a fireplace like the one I tended at ho- in my parent's house." She lifted her chin as she corrected herself.

"We need a fire." Jayne said. "Stands to reason we need a fireplace."

River shook her head. "It is disharmonious."

"Uh, yeah," Jayne shook his head. "Explain that one, please."

"It is familiar to me, but it is inappropriate for the structure we are building." River gnawed at her bottom lip.

Jayne looked away. "We need to build a fire inside, right?"

"Undoubtedly." She agreed.

"Right, so where else would we put it? We need to get the smoke out." Jayne said. "Even I know smoke can kill you if it fouls the air."

"There may be an alternative to what I have planned. An opening in the center of the roof would serve a similar purpose." She winced.

"And let in the weather?" Jayne didn't much like that thought.

"Not necessarily." She paused. "Ancient structures often had a central hearth. If the roof slopes upwards as ours will, then there should be no problem." She gestured the shape their roof should take.

"Both kinds would work?" Jayne asked.

River thought a moment. "Yes." She finally agreed.

"Which kind means moving less stone?" He asked.

"The hole in the center of the roof." She said without hesitating.

"Then we should do that." Jayne said, just as quickly.

Santha's frown persisted for a moment. "Yes. We should." She favored him with one of her beautiful smiles. "And we will. Help me alter the outlines."

* * *

"Wash, can we be on Pele's Orchard in less than two weeks?" Inara asked from the doorway to the bridge.

"I'll have to check with the computer, but I think so." Wash looked up at her.

"Why? Did you find us a job?" Mal asked. He'd been keeping Wash company.

"Hopefully two, actually." Inara smiled and made a note on the personal organizer she was holding. "Things will go more smoothly if we can get there several days before the shipment is ready to go."

"What's the cargo?" Mal asked, not quite suspiciously. Low risk jobs were usually boring, dirty or low profit. They would have to resign themselves to that while Zoë was knocked up. He leaned back in his chair to ease his neck while looking up at Inara.

"Fifty seven tropical birds and one human handler." Inara said, watching carefully for his reaction. "The birds will stay in the cargo bay, we'll partition the air systems to minimize the smell and the client will provide us with new filters to install after they're gone."

"Huh." Mal said. Well, that was 'dirty' true enough. "What sort of pay?"

Inara named a figure that shocked Mal upright in his chair.

"That is," She continued. "Assuming we can get them to Bellerophon in time for Robin Grainer's tropically themed weekend party which begins in twenty six days."

"I'm working on it." Wash muttered. "Yes, we get to Athena in fourteen hours, do the job there and make it to Pele's in…nine days plus time on the ground. Bellerophon is six days from Pele's Orchard, easy." He hummed a little. "We can refuel on Pele's. Totally doable."

"Good you won't even need to rush the Athena job. The second job is available starting from Bellerophon as long as the first delivery is on time." Inara smiled and turned away.

"Inara?" He called after her.

She turned back.

"What's the second job." He asked.

She smiled. "Transporting eight large freezer containers of seafood to Hera. No passengers."

That one would be 'boring,' sure enough.

Mal turned to Wash. "Why ain't we had her be the brains before now?"

Wash shrugged.

Mal pinched his lower lip thoughtfully.

* * *

Jayne picked up the handles of his wheelbarrow and headed back to camp. As usual, Santha was right. She insisted that he start bringing the wall to them at a specific point. Each trip he took he had less distance to go, because the rocks he was moving were that much closer to camp.

That was smart, even though he'd argued at first.

Santha was a lot slower on each trip than he was. He passed her coming and going most times. She filled her cart with less rock - only as much as she could manage - and wandered on the way back, gathering up things to eat.

Jayne was nearly ready to tell her she should stick to camp. It wasn't that he resented her not helpingness, it was more that she could get more done if she weren't helping. He was the muscle, after all. She was the brain. He should do the heavy hauling.

Santha was in camp when he got there. She was separating rocks into piles and lines. Only she knew what she meant by everything.

Jayne smiled, more fondly than he was aware.

He stopped the barrow near his big pile and shook his head.

"I'm gonna get wet." He announced. He walked out, nearly hip deep and dropped into the water. He stood out again and shook his head before heading back to shore.

Santha was laughing at him by the time he lay out in the sun to dry off. Jayne didn't mind. She wasn't laughing mean. It was easing on his mind that she was happy.

"That was twenty, wasn't it?" Santha asked.

"Yep, unless I lost count." Jayne agreed. They'd agreed the first day that twenty loads was enough for a day's hauling. Now it was time to build. He rolled over and stood.

Santha looked mighty cute grubbing thru the rocks like she always did. Sunlight on her hair made it shine.

She was wearing one of the many blankets they'd been given as supplies. She cut a hole for her head and belted it with a length of rope. Shouldn't look near as good as it did.

Jayne blinked. He needed distraction.

He looked towards the house. Their walls were taking shape in just a couple days they were halfway to his knees. Santha had insisted on making them thicker than he would have done. At least he didn't have to fit stones together solidly the way the quarry-wall they were stealing from had been.

Santha had a method. They built up the inside and outside face of their walls and then filled the space between with mortar and small stones. Except for the places she called 'ribs.' At five places around the circle they built a solid stone column, glued together with mortar.

Santha insisted up and down that it was an ancient and proven way to build. Jayne had never seen or heard of a building like it.

"The time has come to level the floor." Santha said. "First we must add soil, then gravel then pave with flat stones." She pointed to an area where she'd laid out enough rocks to cover the whole floor inside the house.

All the rocks were lumpy as far as he could tell.

"Santha, I ain't walking on that." He warned.

She laughed. "The flat sides are down." She explained. "The uneven nature of the undersides will help them stay in place."

"Where do you want me to get the dirt from?" Jayne asked. He sure hoped it wasn't too far.

"Right here." Santha scurried over to a rectangle of ground that she'd outlined using the spade.

"You want me to dig a big hole in the ground right outside our door?" Jayne didn't bother to keep the disbelief out of his voice. Maybe he'd been to quick not to question her building decisions. He still thought round walls were more trouble than they were worth.

Santha laughed. "We need a root cellar." She explained. "We might as well combine the two tasks."

Jayne thought that over before nodding. "You think we'll need to store food?" Of course she did if she wanted a root house.

Santha pointed to the short pieces of log that he'd hacked off a tree trunk for seats. "Tree ring samples indicate severe winter conditions."

That gave him pause. Winter? Like the whole moon getting cold? He scratched at his drying scalp. Suddenly thick walls sounded better than ever.

"Right." He finally said. "Where did you put the spade?" He went to dump the wheelbarrow out. He was gonna need that to move earth.

Jayne didn't like digging with such a small tool. He'd already had a mess of that when they built the little kiln to bake rocks into powder. At least the mortar seemed to be working right.

Jayne glanced at his Santha-girl again and set to work digging with the spade and his hands.

* * *

Note: Sigh. We are at the point where I'm making it up as I go along. It won't drag out terribly long. I have a rough list of topics to cover. However, as you've seen, I'm taking longer with each one. Then I have the second half of the middle already written and then I'll be constructing again. This is a long one.

In case you wondered, I am also (slowly) working on an Alantris update.


	13. Feathers and Honey

As I'm quite sure you can tell I am heavily procrastinating this fic. This chapter is not my best work. Also, remember, this is AU to the BDM. Neither Mal/Inara nor Simon/Kaylee have developed into relationships.

* * *

Inara was in the cargo bay before the ship touched down. She was dressed like she had an appointment, all fancy.

Mal and Zoe were there, talking to Cynthia, the bird lady. Apparently Inara's rich friends were renting the birds for the party. Afterwards, Cynthia would need a lift somewhere to sell them before heading back home. She was trying to talk him into transporting her.

"Inara, will we have room to take Cynthia away again, what with the next cargo?" Mal asked.

Inara looked around speculatively. "You keep everything much cleaner than I was expecting." She hummed low in her throat while she thought. "You won't have nearly as much room as you did on the way here."

Cynthia shrugged. "You didn't see what I'm used to at home. We can stack the cages up to ten high without difficulty."

"We can take you as far as Hera if you don't mind crowding in." Inara confirmed.

"Thank you. I think I'll probably take you up on that." Cynthia smiled at them both.

Wash inserted the ship into atmosphere. The birds all squawked and rattled in their cages. The sound was deafening.

Inara winced and Cynthia started singing to the flustered birds.

Wash's landing was gentle, as usual.

Inara patted at her perfect hair and faced the airlock.

Mal hit the button and followed Inara out.

A party of people was approaching them from the mansion at the center of the floating estate. They were mostly men, but it looked like the lady of the house was with them. Mal glanced at Inara, wondering if that made a difference to her.

"Robin!" She exclaimed, recognizing their employer.

The impeccably dressed man at the front of the pack lifted his hand in greeting.

Inara stepped regally forward and caught him by the arms. "So good to see you." She slid towards him until their bodies were pressed fully together.

No one present could have any doubt they were intimately aquatinted. Mal swallowed the anger that was trying to creep up on him. She weren't his to get angry over.

Robin dipped his head and Inara reached up to meet his passionate kiss. When they separated, Inara lowered her eyes demurely.

Robin turned to the woman beside him. "Inara, you've met my wife, Laura, before."

"Yes, just the once." Inara smiled fondly at the woman. "But how could I forget?"

The two women embraced and indulged in an equally passionate kiss.

Mal'd been surprised by the first greeting, but he was stunned by the second.

When Inara turned back towards _Serenity_ she kept her arm around Laura.

"Robin, Laura, I'd like you to meet Captain Reynolds. _Serenity_ is his ship" She smiled. "Mal, these are my friends, Laura and Robin Grainer."

The man stepped forward to shake Mal's hand. "Thank you for helping us out at the last minute."

"Weren't even a problem." Mal said, hoping 'Nara would take charge of saying the right things like she'd promised to.

"We're just glad we were in the right place to help when you needed us." Inara said smoothly.

"And thank you for bringing us such an elegant addition to our party. Please say you can stay, Inara." Laura entreated prettily.

"Just until the party is over." Inara agreed. "The captain can work with your steward to get the birds transferred to your conservatory."

"Of course, Jenson, see that Captain Reynolds has everything he requires." Robin waved one of the other men forwards. Then he insinuated himself between Laura and Inara. He led them towards the house.

"Huh." Mal said, watching them walk away. He spared a glance at Zoë, who looked more amused than she should, before turning back to the steward.

The bird lady stepped forward. "I'm Cynthia Stot, the flock is in my care. I understand I'll be staying here with my birds until after the party?"

"Yes, we've made arrangements." Steward Jenson turned to the men behind him. "Please listen to Ms. Stot carefully. Follow her instructions. It wouldn't do to hurt the animals."

The workers followed Cynthia onto the boat.

Jenson turned back to Mal, pulling a thick envelope out of his pocket. "You'll find a little extra something for your trouble."

Mal couldn't resist opening it to thumb through the bills. There was definitely more than Inara had told him to expect. "Miss Inara may consider it a favor to old friends." Mal drawled, following Inara's instructions. "But there ain't no substitute for cashy money."

Jenson laughed and clapped Mal on the back. "No truer words, my friend."

* * *

"We will set the oculus ring tomorrow." Santha said, dishing Jamie's food onto the ground. She kept the stones around their hearth literally clean enough to eat off of.

"The what?" Jamie asked, using a mostly clean stick to mush his food so it would cool.

"The final stones in the roof." Santha clarified.

Jamie nodded. They could have finished today except Santha insisted they wait. Something about the mortar needing time to dry.

"Yeah." Jamie agreed. "That means the house will be done, don't it?"

"Correct. Shall we prepare a feast to celebrate?" She suggested, stretching out on the floor to eat her own meal. "I could catch fish."

"Sure. How big a feast?"

"I think the word implies a meal large enough that you can eat the leftovers for several days." Santha picked at her vegetables with a stick, before using her fingers to eat.

"Good idea." Jamie nodded and settled in to eat.

They were getting more comfortable in their silences.

"We need proper dishes." Jamie complained. "It ain't civilized to eat off the floor with our fingers."

Santha looked at him with her big, round eyes then nodded. "I want a proper cooking pot too."

During her sorting process, Santha had chosen a large flat rock with a shallow dip in the center as a griddle. She stood it above the fire on stone stilts. She was able to fry fish, pancakes and such. She also roasted food in the coals, although usually wrapped in leaves as suggested by her book.

"One with a lid." She got that determined look in her eye and James knew he had some hard work ahead of him. "I'll see what I can figure out."

Their rooms were long finished. They had moved in before they even started on the roof. The place was even starting to be homey.

"Then maybe I could rig up a table." Jamie continued. "Some chairs too. I'm too old to lay around on the floor to eat."

"My Jamie isn't old." Santha said quietly.

"My stiff knees disagree." Jamie retorted.

Santha didn't comment further. She stuffed her face with food instead.

When they were almost finished she jumped up.

"I can't stand to wait." She pulled out a stone with enough of an indentation to be used as a bowl.

She set it between them and pulled off the flat 'lid' - another stone.

Jamie stared at it, unable to identify the pale lumps swimming in amber liquid. Santha dipped her finger in and brought it to his lips.

"Honey?" He'd only ever had it from a jar.

Santha nodded. "I found the hive yesterday. I wanted to save it for the feast, but I couldn't wait."

She dipped the edge of one of her griddle cakes into the honey and ate it. She practically purred. "I love this stuff." She said around her full mouth.

They finished it between them.


	14. Prepare and Stand Ready

Derrial rubbed the tip of his nose with his thumb. Anyone who knew him well would recognize the anxiety in the gesture. He was opening a can of worms here. Not that he was going to change his mind.

He pressed the button to engage the Cortex link. He'd waited until they were docked on Hera so he could use a public machine for the call. Paradoxically, it was easier to delete his trail and there was less possibility of effective surveillance. Everything was recorded, but the copies could be tracked down. He had already taken care of that.

"Codex?" The woman on the other end of the call blinked at him then her hands started flying. She was deleting their transmission from her end too and securing the channel.

Yelena was as beautiful as ever in her own rather unorthodox way. She was purple today. Hair, makeup and clothing. Amazing. She had such an eye for stylized self presentation.

"Holy shit, Codex. You don't call, you don't write…"

"You're right, baby. Not unless I need something." Derrial's mouth twisted. "You're making me feel guilty."

"I looked you up a while back." She cocked her head. "The monks said you got itchy feet?"

"Basically." He agreed. "I got a report I wanted to confirm for myself, then I got Involved."

"You?" Her perfectly sculpted purple eyebrow raised. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"I need to call in a favor." Derrial said, his fingers started tapping of their own accord.

"Dear sweet man, you saved my life." Yelena drawled. "You could call that in every day from here to eternity and I still wouldn't call it paid."

"Don't tempt me, beautiful." Derrial drawled.

"What is it this time?" She tugged on a long lock of her hair. He noted the gesture, the line was secure.

"I need you to create an identity for a colleague of mine. One of my boys had his cover compromised and we're worried about internal threats." Derrial was a little disturbed at how easily the half lies rolled off his tongue. "I have a tight-beam of details and pictures for you to use."

"Sure thing, I thought you were going to ask something difficult or at least outside of my job description." She grinned. "You also need to visit me sometime." She pressed the pad of her thumb into the underside of her jaw. A signal to meet with her in person.

Derrial froze. It was bad enough contacting her this way, but showing up on Londinum, walking into the office like no time had passed. He made a reciprocating negative gesture.

Yelena licked her teeth under her lips. Then rolled her eyes.

She opened the files he sent her and scrolled through. "You want a full background that will hold up under hard scrutiny?"

Derrial nodded. "He's going deep under until the heat dies down. Give him a degree, a double major in Biology and Chemistry. We'll need an official transcript."

A line appeared on her forehead. "I can do that. It does take more time. Did you include his electives?"

"Not all of them. Be a little creative based on what 'his' college offers. I trust you." He did, too. There wasn't anyone he'd rather turn to.

"There isn't anything else beyond normal?"

Derrial shook his head. "Just the normal who, what, when, where, why and how."

"No problem. Just give me a little narrative." Yelena instructed. "After he graduated…"

"Right after graduation he took a medical aptitude exam, I included the scores. Then he hopped a boat, under protest from his parents. Just a dumb kid intending to see the 'Verse before medical school. He got a little distracted, a couple of years worth of distraction, moving from one port to another. Last known location Persephone. Possibly seen entering a Firefly called _Serenity_."

An impulse caused him to make a gesture indicating that was his own current location. It wasn't like the information wasn't already in the central computer banks at a security level she had access to. His last known location was recorded when Mal had sought medical aid for him on an Alliance vessel.

"Alright." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I should have most of the groundwork laid in just a few hours. Where shall I send his papers?"

"I knew I could count on you. Send everything to the post office on Avery Skyplex." Derrial reached for the off switch.

"I miss you, Codex." Yelena touched leaned forward, he could see that the purple powder, or whatever it was, went all the way down her cleavage. "We all do."

"Thanks, Chimera." He winced. "I'll try to keep in better contact."

She terminated the connection.

Derrial spent a little time cleaning up after himself, including wiping prints off everything he touched.

* * *

Jayne knew that he'd be worse than lost without Santha. Dead in the water. Starving to death in the middle of more edibles than he'd ever known about. She was always finding more stuff they could eat and that gorram book of hers had more useful knowledge in it than he'd thought possible.

Just now he'd been out, scouting about, collecting possible edibles. He brought a 'sample' to Ri-Santha, like she told him. He never tried a plant she wasn't sure of. He'd found three large plant patches in the area he'd just looked at. He held them up for Santha to see.

"Keep, gather, dispose, that one is poisonous." She pointed at each, then immediately returned to the stones she was knocking together.

A few days ago, just after the kiln was filled with clay pots and bowls, Santha had thrown a crazy fit. When she'd settled, she announced they needed to gather up as much food as they could find. She was specific. When he gathered up a food plant he was supposed to pick every other one and be careful not to trample the plants he left behind.

Jayne still wasn't sure what that was all about, but he figured it could mean that winter was coming. She was preserving the food. In some cases, that seemed to involve holding it over the fire, in other cases she laid it out in the sun or just piled it up in those big baskets she'd gotten so good at making.

"Ow! What the devil are you doing?" A sharp shard of her stone hit his leg.

"He shouldn't stand so close." She looked amused when she said it, but then she quickly set down the stone in her hand. "Hurts? Show me."

Jayne raised his pant leg. The shard was embedded in his shin. Santha inspected it closely before simply reaching out and plucking the offending piece of stone out of his leg. She pointed to the boiled water.

"Wash and bandage." She ordered. "He shouldn't get himself hurt."

"Hey!" He limped towards obeying. "I ain't the one playing with dangerous rocks."

Santha started up with the hitting the rocks together, so Jayne came up behind her when he was done washing his wound. The bleeding was almost stopped so he didn't bother with the bandage foam. It was better to save that for when Santha was hurt.

Jayne watched Santha work for a while, confused at the usefulness of this when she was so worked up over food gathering.

"What the hell are you doing, anyway?" He finally asked.

Santha opened the data book and handed it to him. He squinted and glared at the writing.

"Flint Ka-nap-ping?"

"Knapping." She corrected, not looking up. "And the stone in question is actually an obsidian byproduct of the terraforming."

Jayne continued to read, his mouth moving with the words.

"Huh." He closed the reader and set it down beside her again. "So, whacha making?"

She looked up at him, considered for a moment, then must have decided he wasn't mocking her. She pointed to the various rocks in front of her.

"Knife, spear points, maybe arrowheads." She grinned up at him and pointed to the tiny chip still covered in his blood. "Jamie trap."

"Brat."

"Yes." She said solemnly. "Santha knows that Jamie is a brat."

He picked up the one she called a knife and tested the edge. The damned thing drew blood with almost no effort.

"Sharp." Santha warned.

"No kidding." Jayne laughed, sucking on his thumb. "You figured out how to do this with the book?"

She nodded. "Santha had need of a knife and grew tired of the awkward hatchet."

He hefted a spear point. "Not bad balance."

"My skill level is still low." She said. "I've made numerous caltrops as well."

"Caltrops?" The word sounded familiar, like he'd heard it before, but didn't know what it meant then either.

"Old war term. Means… You scatter them and people step on them, unawares." She growled, she could tell he wasn't getting it. "Put them in the river, the enemy bleeds in the water."

"Oh." Jayne suddenly saw the strategic uses of the little shards.

Santha nodded, knowing he got it.

"I'll keep an eye out for spear poles." He offered.

"That would be most satisfactory." She agreed.

Jayne took the 'gather' plant and a basket with a carry strap to carry the harvest in.

"You need anything before I head off again?" He stole a drying berry he'd gathered yesterday.

"The more you consume, the less you will have later." Santha warned. She wasn't mad, more amused. "I have no immediate needs. Do we want a fish supper?"

"You asked, so I'm guessing you do." Jayne thought he was getting to know her.

Santha laughed. "I just want to get my feet wet. Oh, we should preserve some fish too. I think the river might freeze over."

"Be careful." Jayne didn't let his desperation not to lose her enter his voice. He looked away and his eyes rested on the kiln.

"I promise." She smiled.

She insisted they had to let the pots and bowls dry inside before they lit up the fire. Jayne hadn't realized what a pyro he was until the first time they set fire to it to make mortar.

"Alright then. I won't be too far." He cleared his throat. "Call out if you need me."

Jayne took up the handles of his wheelbarrow and strode off, his mind working overtime. Spears would be good, that would mean red meat, assuming he could manage a spear. He wondered all the time if they were eating enough of the right things.

It was easy to tell on the ship. You're supposed to eat each protein color at least once a week. You fill in the spaces with rice noodles or potato flakes. Eat greens any time you can get them and cook it all in a bit of grease. Olive oil, if you can afford it. Even he could manage that.

This real food thing creeped him out. It did weird things to his guts too. He burped. Too much discomforting naturalness.

He thought back to the plant Santha had told him was poison. If it wasn't for her, he'd be rationing out his processed food to the very bite and still be killing himself on the plant life. After the first day they'd agreed to save the food they'd been dropped with in case of emergency.

And now she made knives. She really was useful.

Jayne grinned. There weren't many people he'd ever met - ever - who he'd rather be stuck in the wilderness with.

He squelched the 'easy on the eyes' thought that tried to creep into his brain. He'd survived this long without disgracing his ma's teaching. He wasn't gonna let himself slip up.

And he certainly wasn't gonna admit, even to himself, that while he'd stood behind her, watching her work, he'd had a right nice look down her shirt. No, sir. No, ma'am.

He looked back over his shoulder. He could still hear the tap-tippity-tap of her knapping them stones together.

"I'll be in my bunk." He whispered to the quiet trees. He was ever so grateful not to be in that damned sleeper cell.

* * *

"What's this?" Simon looked at the paper wrapped parcel, then up at the Shepherd who'd just set it in front of him. It was addressed to his new name, care of Shepherd Book.

"Hmm," Book said. "Should be your papers, unless you're expecting another delivery."

Simon looked back at the package again.

"Go on and open it, Ray." Book sat next to him.

The ID card was on top, then an official birth certificate with proper seals, a formal passport including stamps from three controlled ports.

It was the diploma that threw him off the most. He touched his new name.

"There should be a hard copy of your transcript too." The holy man smiled.

"Here it is." Simon opened an envelope with the official seal of the school that issued the diploma and pulled out more papers. "My grades could be better."

"It isn't in your best interest to stand out." Book reminded him.

"Right." Simon agreed.

"Congratulations, Ray, you're an official member of society." Book said.

"Thank you. I'll repay you somehow." Simon swallowed.

"Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me." Book said, quoting scripture. "Get your doctor license, serve the people. That will be sufficient repayment."

Simon nodded, leafing through his new papers. "I think this is yours." He handed another, smaller envelope to the shepherd.

Book stiffened, seeing his name sprawled across it in a very distinctive hand. The purple ink made him wince. Yelena knew better.

"Excuse me." He stood, taking the little envelope with him.


	15. Increasingly More Complicated

Derrial heard her before he saw her. That was curious as she was often silent as well as graceful when she moved.

"I just saw Ray's new papers." Inara tapped her foot and crossed her arms. "No one does work that good except…"

Derrial was expecting this, he closed Yelena's message. "You're compromising your cover, my dear."

Inara sputtered to a halt.

Derrial hid a smile. "Don't worry, I'm the only one who knows and I'm content to keep it that way."

"How long have you known?" Inara demanded.

"That you're a SCI agent?" Derrial looked up, mouth under control, but eyes dancing. "Since we first met. My office estimates two thirds of all registered Companions report to Sihnon Central Intelligence. I have long suspected the numbers to be considerably higher. Any Companion traveling as you do on a ship such as this is unquestionably an agent."

Inara snapped her open mouth shut.

"Quite a good cover, by the way. You almost make it seem as if you left home in disgrace." Derrial smiled kindly.

"You're with ANS, aren't you?" Inara accused, trying to turn attention from how correct he was.

"How flattering that you think that possible." He was a master at evading this sort of question. "You know, it wouldn't compromise your cover to become physically intimate with the captain, Pamela."

All color faded from Inara's face. "Where did you hear that name?"

"Records are kept after all." Derrial shrugged. "Whatever I once was, I am now retired."

"Someone in your office doesn't think so." Inara countered.

"Perhaps." Derrial agreed. He was enjoying this conversation. Perhaps too much.

"What is that?" Inara pointed to the folded sheet of paper in his hand.

"Knowing my contact it could be either a personal letter or a coded message. I haven't had more than a look at it." He looked down at the flower scented paper.

"May I?" Inara's eyes held a challenge.

Derrial hesitated, then handed it to her. Inara would be hip deep in anything involving _Serenity_. She might as well see.

_Dearest Derrial._

_I hope you are well. I'm afraid I_

_need to ask a favor of you now that_

_you have given me your direction. It has_

_come to my attention that you haven't been to_

_see my mother since you last saw_

_me. Please, I beg you to take the time_

_soon. She hasn't much longer._

_-Yelena. _

"It couldn't be simpler." Inara said. She pointed to the first word of each line. "I need you. Come see me soon." Inara turned the paper over. "Huh. This is from someone who should know better, isn't it?"

"Most assuredly." Derrial agreed. "She even used her real name. Or at least the name she goes by behind closed doors."

"That means she was sure the package would reach you and not anyone else."

"Because the postmarks were forged." He realized. "She's the expert, that would be simple for her. She brought it as far as the post office herself and waited until it was picked up." Derrial headed for the door leading to the airlock.

"Shepherd, we've already left the station." Inara caught his arm.

Derrial turned away from the door to the cargo bay and started up the stairs instead. They had to go back for her.

"Looking for someone?" A familiar, teasing voice asked.

Derrial turned slowly. When he saw her standing near passenger country he was sure his eyes were deceiving him.

It was Yelena, but not the girl he knew. This woman was soberly dressed with her long brown hair pulled tightly back on her head. Her lightly bronzed skin was scrubbed clean of all cosmetics.

"You wouldn't come to me." She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Gorramit, woman, I'm supposed to be retired." Derrial growled. Things must be really bad if Chimera was back in the field. When they split she swore she was never leaving Londinum again.

Yelena laughed. "You're obviously somebody's handler."

"Not exactly." Derrial rolled his eyes. "More like a contact point for a limited number of people."

"Hello." Simon said, coming down the stairs. "I didn't realize we had taken on more passengers."

An instant of recognition crossed Yelena's face, but she composed herself quickly.

Derrial sighed. Things were suddenly complicated.

"Inara, Ray, this is my niece, Yelena. Sweetheart, this is Inara Serra, registered Companion and Ray Wong, medical student."

"Pleased to meet you both." Yelena smiled, showing off brilliantly white teeth.

"Please excuse us." Derrial descended the two stairs and took Yelena's arm. "I need to speak with my niece privately."

"Right." Inara said, ironically. "Clear the room." She took Simon by the arm and led him away. "Lets go have some tea, shall we?"

"That boy isn't an agent." Yelena's eyes were narrowed.

"No, just a deserving young man who ran into serious trouble of the difficult to escape kind." Derrial steered Yelena towards his room.

"Not a bad place." She looked around, noting his personal touches. "Bare as a monk's cell and you've been here how many months?"

"Yelena…" He said warningly. So many things were coming back to him.

There was a smattering of grey in her hair now. The radical colors she preferred masked that very well. How long had it been since he last saw her natural coloring?

She turned to him, amused. "Your niece? I don't look that much younger than you, even with your gene-mod. What if I'd already given a different cover?"

"After mentioning a mother I've never met in your little note?" Derrial gave her a Look. "I'm a celibate preacher to them. Our old cover isn't a possibility."

Yelena stepped towards him and tucked herself against his chest. "I like the hair. Old suits you. Very distinguished."

His arms came up of their own accord and wrapped around her. She belonged in his arms.

"I've missed you." Yelena said softly.

Derrial swallowed. "You didn't leave your posh lab because you missed me."

"No." She looked up into his face, not moving away. "Phoenix has gone missing. Suspicious circumstances. I was hoping you could help me."

Having his old lover back in his arms wasn't worth hearing that one of his best friends was in danger.

"Tell me everything you know."

* * *

"I was looking for you, Inara." Simon admitted once the kettle was on. He sat at the table, stood to pace the room, then forced himself to sit again.

"Oh, what for?" She smiled smoothly, not revealing how off balance she still was from the shepherd's accurate assessment of her intelligence gathering role.

Truthfully, even the stupidest Companion was a trained spy, it was part of the basic underlying purpose of the Guild. The yearly physical exam also involved a complete debriefing under hypnosis.

"I have a delicate favor to ask of you, Inara, I find myself in need of the services of a _mei ren_. I was wondering if you would consent to fill that role." Simon blurted the words out in a rush. He winced. Perhaps he had practiced that too much.

Inara was stunned speechless for the second time that hour.

"I know I'm not a full doctor again yet. However, I have steady employment here on the ship. I am also once again a full member of society with the documentation to back that up." Simon wanted to impress on her his suitability as a husband before she could think up his flaws.

"Stop." Inara raised her hand. "I assume you intend for me to mediate between you and Kaylee?"

"Well, yes." Simon blinked.

"Ray, have you stopped to consider that her people don't use matchmakers?" Inara frowned. "She…"

"I require it." Simon said firmly. "Without a proper _mei ren_ the marriage could be contested on my home world. Think of the suffering…" He trailed off. "She would feel so betrayed."

Inara took a deep breath and dredged up memories of the Osirian laws he was referring to. He was right.

The kettle whistled and Inara took preparing the tea as an opportunity to think. Osiris had some odd customs. Well, every society had its quirks.

On Osiris, there was no social stigma for sexual relations with any partner you chose. However, formal marriage was necessary for rearing children. There was a whole book full of laws and customs. To avoid difficulty, a professional matchmaker was required to prepare and notarize all marriage contracts.

Without that sort of contract, a marriage could be dissolved by his parents. It was practically as easy as declaring aloud that they weren't married.

"I'll speak with Kaylee." Inara promised. "Have you discussed this with her at all?"

Simon felt a pained look cover his face. "No, I wasn't a desireable match until I had my papers. Should I have…"

"I'll speak with her first." Inara promised, shaking her head. Sometimes the doctor was completely hopeless.

* * *

Jayne was a good tracker. Part of that skill included the laying of tracks.

This particular false trail was the most elaborate one he'd ever felt the need to lay. Especially since it deliberately didn't lead anywhere.

He surveyed his handiwork. The clearing looked like it had been occupied for weeks. The little lean-to was watertight, much better than his first effort. The fire area had layer upon layer of use, including charred animal bones.

Most heartbreaking was the cairn of stones, built just like he would build a grave out here. It even had a cross at one end. Yup, exactly what he would do. Hopefully, nobody would think to check for a body.

The clearing told a particular story to those astute enough to read it. A shuttle landed here recently, but most of the broken brush was long cleared away.

Two people had lived here, they survived by hunting and foraging until one of them had died. The other person buried the first. Then he left, taking most of their initial supplies with him.

His work here was done. All he needed now was for time to wear away at the signs until nothing was left.

Jayne turned away from the clearing where they'd been dropped of for the last time. Santha was waiting for him back home.

* * *

Derrial looked up from Yelena's data reader and rubbed his face. He felt as old as he looked, even though he was several decades younger. Amazing how ageing grey hair could be.

"Do you know where the ship is headed now?" He asked.

"I booked a passage to Belix, Ben's last known location." Yelena said. "So? What are you thinking?"

Derrial sighed. "I'm thinking we need Inara to help with this."

"The Companion? She's SCI?" Yelena raised her eyebrows.

"Have you ever met one who wasn't?" He responded wryly.

She laughed. The musical sound took him back in time.

"Whatever happens, the three of us deal with it. Preferably away from the ship." Derrial smiled ruefully. "Did you ever think I'd get tangled up with a bunch of Independents?"

Yelena blinked in surprise. "Independents?"

"The captain and first mate are as browncoat as they come. Hence the name of the ship." He laughed at her startlement. "Try not to step on any toes, please."

"Huh, thanks for the heads up." She shook her head. "No, in the war I never would have believed it. I guess we've both changed."

Derrial nodded jerkily.

* * *

_mei ren_ matchmaker

Thank you to **silentphoenix** for the translation.


End file.
